Promises Unkept
by KatLady13
Summary: Takes place after ss arc, ichiruki. Rukia returns with a mission to get information on Aizen and his followers, but has to pretend to be another student's girlfriend in order to get it. How far will she go? Semi-hiatus?
1. Chapter 1

Promises Unkept

Rukia stayed by her brother's bedside, refusing to leave. Even though she herself was in dire need of her own bed. She remaind at Byakuya's side "Please brother, I promise you-if you'll only wake up-I promise they will pay. I will find a way to make them pay for what they have done to you and to me, and to our family. Please, just wake up." She whispered the last part. Things here were so different now. She wanted to be rid of it all. There were horrible things that had happened here, and now she knew that she was right at the center of it. In fact, if it weren't for her, Byakuya wouldn't be laying there right now. He would be just fine, and so would Renji and everyone else. There would still be a Soul Society.

She let herself remember all that had happened. Back in the real world she had felt a sense of belonging that she hadn't ever felt before. Which she thought was very strange, considering that was the one place she really didn't belong. Nonetheless, that was how she felt. She thought it was more because of Ichigo than anything else. He made her feel like she belonged. Much like Kaien had before…but that had all ended when Renji and her brother had come to bring her back. If only she had fought harder with them. If only she had hidden herself better. If only he hadn't tried to save her…

She could remember the feeling she got as she stood before the crowd of her peers on the day of her execution. Her brother was there, but, there weren't many others. She supposed that was alright. She wouldn't want to see any of her friends be put to death either. She had resigned herself to her fate, nothing could change it now-she would die. Not that this brought her any happiness. So, instead of focusing on the crowd and what was about to happen, she decided to remember what her life had been like a month ago. She had friends and she was happy. Throughout her memories one face kept intruding on her thoughts.

Rukia smiled to herself as she closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander. After all, what could it hurt now? No one would ever know, no one would get hurt…she thought of all the times they fought side by side and all the times they screamed at each other. She remembered how concerned he was about her safety all the time. She could hear him calling out her name if she tried hard enough. She could see his face clearly, with one of his rare smiles that seemed only meant for her-that was when it happened.

Rukia felt a sudden stab of anguish. She didn't want to die, not yet…not without…she couldn't think about it. She had managed to come to terms with her death. She was okay with it. She had broken the rules and would be punished. She had no regrets. Until now. She was afraid to die now…not just the fact that it was going to happen. But that she would never see him again. She would never know what it would feel like to really be held by him, to love him and have his love in return. Now she would never know, and she could not come to terms with that. Slowly, tears began to fall as she heard someone call out her sentence.

"Ichigo…" she whispered, "I'm so sorry…if I ever see you again…if I ever get the chance, I won't waste it-I promise. If there is even a chance that we could ever-that you could ever.." she couldn't finish it now. What was the point? He was probably dead and she would be soon.

She could feel the heat of the flames come closer to her, and then, there was nothing. Afraid of what was happening, she slowly opened her eyes. He was there. She had never seen something more beautiful in her life. He looked good, he was smiling at her. God, he was smiling at her…he was here. "Ichigo?" she heard herself whisper.

That had probably been one of the happiest moments of her life. Just because she had seen him again. That meant he had lived through her brother's attack. It meant he had come for her. No one else, just her. To think of everything he had to have gone through just to get to this point…she couldn't believe it.

Bringing herself back into the present she murmured to herself- "If only that had been the end of it." But it hadn't been the end. It was more like the start of something horrible that had lead to so much destruction.

Moving forward in her mind, she replayed the events that had lead up to today. Ichigo, Renji and her other friends had all fought hard to save her. Even her own squad and captain had come to fight. As the battles raged on throughout the day, Rukia was forced to see the real reason she had been sentenced to execution. It wasn't because of what she had done. It was because of what had been inside of her. It was something that someone wanted very badly, and now, because of her-he had it. So many had been injured in the battle, so many long lasting friendships destroyed and trust lost.

Aizen, Ichimaru and Toussen had taken this thing out of her. They had joined the hollows, actually seemed to control them in order to gain access to more power. She didn't understand much of what had happened, except that Aizen had been plotting this for years. He had orchestrated experiments that included the death of Kaien and his gentle wife. He had caused her sister's death. A sister that she never knew and now never would…he had betrayed everyone in Soul Society for his own gain. These failed experiments lead her to a power encased in her soul. On that day, he had ripped it out of her and left.

A few days after the battle had passed and the traitors were gone, Ichigo had come to her-Rukia still injured in more ways than she could put to words told him she would be staying…"Ichigo…I've decided to stay here-in Soul Society. It is my home and it's where I belong. My brother needs me right now and-"

"It's alright" Ichigo cut in, he had a peculiar look on his face. If she hadn't known better she would have thought that there was some sadness, happiness and relief in that look. "I wanted to make sure that you had a chance to do what you wanted to do. So, if staying here is what you want, then that's fine with me. I'll see you he had said with some semblance of the smile he used to give her as he turned away. Rukia could only lower her gaze to the ground-she couldn't stand to watch him leave, but she knew that was best. That had been nearly two weeks ago. Two weeks without him…

Rukia's reverie was disturbed by Matsumoto as she came to her and said, "Rukia, I'm sorry to disturb you-but we need a meeting with you. Can you please come with me? It's rather urgent." Shocked, Rukia answered, "Of course. I won't be gone long brother."

The two remained silent as Rukia was lead to Captain Hitsugaya's office. The prodigy captain was seated behind his desk and looked up at hearing their entrance. "Rukia, thank you for coming to see me. I am sorry for your brother's injuries. We all hope he recovers quickly."

Rukia had no idea what this meeting was in regards to, but responded, "Thank you for your concern Captain. My brother's injuries are very severe but he is strong. Squad 4 is hopeful that he will wake up soon. There is no reason to apologize for his condition, as it is more my fault than anyone here." She finished, finding the floor extremely interesting.

She heard him chuckle and looked up at him, her eyes questioning. "Rukia-we were hoping that you would be able to lend us your expertise. We have some information that may lead us to Aizen and what he is plotting. However, it appears that we would need to use subterfuge in gaining this information. The information that we have is a name-we believe this person to be connected very closely with what is going on. We need someone to get into a position where they would have access to anything linked with Aizen."

Rukia started to get a strange feeling in her stomach. "I'm not sure what I can do to help, but of course, my services are yours."

Hitsugaya took on a very serious face, "You may not want to agree to anything yet Rukia. We know of you substantial injuries-your powers have not returned and you did sustain serious damage to your soul. This could become a problem if your true identity was uncovered. This mission would also include an extended stay in the real world…much in the same position you were in before. You would still have your regular Death God duties to attend to, be that with or without Kurosaki to help you."

"What?" Rukia asked. After all, he couldn't have just said that they were going to allow her to return to him…to that life.

"Rukia, the name we have is of a student that attends the same school as Kurosaki. This is the same school that you posed as a student at, is it not?"

"Well, yes it is. Surely there must be someone that is more qualified to go on this mission! My brother is injured, I can't just leave him!" Rukia countered-starting to raise her voice. Her heart was hammering in her chest. How can I return there? Nothing could be the same after all of this…

"You are the only one with experience in that situation. You set up an identity as a student there and you did it well. The person we send must be able to be passed off as just another student-there aren't that many of us that look young enough to do that Rukia. Out of those of us that do, you are the obvious choice. You have the experience and the connections to make this work. You are the only one that can do this for us all Rukia. However, because of recent events, we are giving you the choice as whether or not you accept this mission. We believe it may be our only chance at stopping Aizen at this point. Will you accept this Rukia?"

She started answer, but then stopped herself. Hadn't she just promised her brother that she would do whatever she could to stop Aizen and make him pay? This was her chance. It would also allow her to return to that life…she wanted that so badly she could hardly breathe. So what was stopping her? It hit her suddenly-Ichigo. If she returned she would have to face him again. Go through each day with him, hardly ever leaving his side. She was terrified of returning only to find that he didn't need her anymore, didn't want her around-that he had forgotten her and moved on with his life like nothing happened.

After the initial shock wore off from that realization, it was replaced with a cool anger at herself. So what if that did happen? At least then she would know how he really felt. If she didn't go then she would never know.

"I accept. When do I leave?"

"First thing in the morning Rukia, you will return to the real world."


	2. Chapter 2

Don't own bleach or any of the characters of bleach etc.

Chapter 2

Homecoming

Ichigo slammed his hand down on his alarm to turn it off as fast as he could. It was just a reflex he told himself. It had nothing to do with the fact that Rukia had hated the sound it made. It wasn't that he had just gotten used to turning it off as fast as he could each morning so she didn't have to wake up to it. It's not like he wasn't used to the fact she wasn't in his closet anymore. "Shit."

He sat up slowly and ran his hands through his hair. "Come on Ichigo, get ahold of yourself. She's gone and it doesn't look like she's coming back. Just forget about it…forget about her." He reassured himself.

He got up and started getting ready for school. It was the first day of class this year. He would be seeing all of his old friends again. Everything would get back to normal and he could forget about her. "Shit." Why couldn't he forget about her? It's not like he hadn't had friends that just happened to be female before. She was just like all of the other girls. "Heh, right." He muttered to himself. She wasn't like anything else he had ever seen in his life and on top of that, he knew she was probably gone for good now. But, at least she was happy and safe now. He couldn't help but wonder what she was up to though. As he got ready for school and ate his breakfast he found himself expecting to see her coming out of his closet at any moment.

On his way to class he kept thinking that he would see her along the way and they would walk together. But, that didn't happen. Instead, he made his way to class with the usual scowl on his face. Once he actually reached the school he ran into several of his friends. The first was of course, Keigo who was naturally overjoyed to see him…

"ICHIGO!" he heard from somewhere in the crush of students. He lifted his gaze up to see Keigo rushing towards him. "Hey." He said to his longtime friend and walked by him.

"Ichigo, wait up! I haven't seen you all summer and all you can say back to me is 'hey'?"

Keigo chided him as he caught up to walk next to him. "Ichigo, Keigo over here." That was Mizuiro. Ichigo frowned at him and nodded, but made his way to him just the same.

"I had a great vacation! We went to the beach and I got to see a lot of family I haven't seen in years." Kiego said. "How was yours?"

"Mine was alright. I didn't go to the beach…but I did meet this girl. She was great fun over the summer. Although she was a little short for my tastes, she was smart and funny. We had a good time together." Mizuiro finished up with a grin.

"Mizuiro! You are so lucky! How about you Ichigo? What did you do all summer-your family said you went on some vacation somewhere."

Ichigo turned in response to Kiego-he had always liked Rukia a little more that Ichigo had ever been comfortable with. _Dammit! I told myself I wasn't going to think about her..can't I even go one day without this?_

He looked over at her desk. It was empty and it would stay that way now. He had saved her and that's all that mattered. She had decided to stay-he knew it was what she wanted. That's why he didn't yell at her when she told him. It just wasn't possible for her to come back with him. He saw the strain she was under, the tightness around her eyes. Her brother had been hurt…of course she couldn't leave.

"Hello Ichigo! You alright?" Kiego asked with genuine concern. That brought Ichigo back to reality. "Oh..yeah I'm fine." He answered. After Kiego and Mizuiro exchanged a quick look he asked again, "Okay then. Where did you go over the summer?"

_Does everything have to remind of that damn place?_ "I went to see a friend."

More students entering their class room caught his attention and he looked up to see Inoue entering with Ishida right behind her. Chad followed them in and they all took their seats. Almost immediately Inoue turned to him, "Kurosaki, how are you?" He let out a quick breath and answered as quickly as possible-"I'm fine." Inoue was there with him when she said she was staying. She was the only other one that heard her…

"Ichigo, did you have a good break?" came a deep rumbling voice from behind. "Yeah Chad. How was yours?" As Ichigo turned around he met Chad's eyes and a meaningful look passed between them. Chad nodded to him, seeming able to convey much more in that simple action than he could in so many words-"It was fine."

Ishida's greeting was much more simple "Kurosaki." "Ishida."

Things were going to get better. He had been back for a few weeks now with nothing to do. Now he would have school to focus on and finally get some peace from his restless thoughts. There were still a few minutes before class was going to start so Ichigo turned to listen to his friends that were talking about their summer. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings and other conversations going on around him. Inoue was talking with Tatsuki about how she had visited her family…

"Ichigo" he heard a quiet voice behind him. _No…it couldn't be-must just be my imagination. _He could feel gazes on him now, and was almost certain of the three people that they belonged to.

"Ichigo?" it was more persistent this time. Slowly he turned around to see Rukia staring at him.

"Rukia?" he blinked, trying to clear his vision. He moved closer to her, his heart began to pound faster. "Rukia…are you really here?" he asked her quietly.

Suddenly Rukia wondered if this was the best idea-coming back into his life in front of everyone here. She couldn't seem to hold his gaze that was so intense. He was frowning, and it wasn't his usual frown. He looked furious. Was he angry that she had come back at all? She looked down and moved her bangs out of her face, which immediately fell right back. She let out a little short laugh and looked back up to him-he hadn't moved at all.

"Of course Ichigo. Where else would I be?" she said in the same quiet voice. She watched him as he shut his eyes for a heartbeat and then opened them again.

This was real. It had to real. If this wasn't real then there was something seriously wrong with him. She was here-Rukia. He had been hoping that something like this might happen…it meant that she had changed her mind.

Rukia watched Ichigo carefully, hoping to find some clue to what was going on inside his head-but he was strangely unreadable. He kept the frown on his face-but then again he was practically always frowning, so that didn't mean much.

"Who was your summer Kuchiki?" Kiego was asking her. For some reason, Rukia found it extraordinarily hard to take her gaze off of Ichigo and apparently he was having the same problem. She forced herself back into her old façade and beamed at Kiego, "Oh it was wonderful! But, how was yours Kiego?"

Kiego moved in closer to her and before she knew exactly what he was doing he had taken her hand in his own and placed a quick kiss on it, "Oh Kuchiki you are always so thoughtful. I had an excellent vacation as well."

Rukia slightly blushing pulled her hand back quickly and replied "I'm so glad to hear that!"

This wasn't exactly going as she had planned, so seeking some sort of reassurance that she wasn't getting from anyone other than Keigo she quickly searched the room and saw Inoue gaping at her. She put on her best smile and started to make a move to her when she heard a thud behind her. When she turned around she saw Keigo laying on the ground and Ichigo still trying to bore holes in her head. Her eyes went from Keigo and then back to Ichigo with a questioning look. While still holding Ichigo's gaze with her own she asked "Keigo are you alright?"

She wasn't really sure what his response was, as Ichigo mouthed "We need to talk" to her. She still had no idea if he was angry with her or not, if he even wanted her here. Gauging by his reactions thus far, it was a resounding no. She felt herself nod and took her seat, hoping class would end soon.

Rukia forced her gaze on the instructor the entire time, refusing to look at Ichigo. Ichigo on the other hand couldn't seem to stop looking at her. She was slightly in front of him, so it did give him a small advantage in that she couldn't see him. He watched her-memorized her features. Her raven hair looked as smooth as silk and her pale skin seemed to glow. Over and over he heard her saying his name. Once he had turned around to see that it really had been Rukia and she had said his name he felt his knees buckle.

Just hearing her say his name like that. It had affected him so profoundly that there was no possible way for him to deny it. God he wanted to hear it again. He had been waiting for her to come back and now here she was. He so desperately wanted to grab her and go somewhere that they could talk in private. He had so many things that he needed to say to her. Time was not moving fast enough to suit him. When it was finally time for lunch, Ichigo did just as he pleased and took ahold of Rukia's arm and practically dragged her all the way up to the roof.

"I wanted to talk to you too." Was all she said, but it was still enough. He still had her arm in his grasp and it was beginning to get tighter.

"Did you?" Ichigo asked, and cringed inwardly as he noticed the bitter note wasn't lost on Rukia.

He regretted it again when she tried to pull her arm away from him. Reluctantly he let go and said, "What did you want to talk with me about?"

She took a step back-that was a bad sign- and began to straighten her uniform. She was stalling, another bad sign. What the hell was the matter with her? Then a horrible thought started to take form in his racing mind. "Rukia, why did you come back?" he asked in a raised voice.

Rukia's eyes snapped up to his and suddenly he didn't feel like he could breathe. "We can talk of that later Ichigo…right now I have to ask you something."

This all seemed very surreal to Ichigo as he tried to focus on what she was saying and not her eyes, her lips or the way that one strand of hair just wouldn't stay in place.

"Yeah…go ahead" came out in a tone that implied he really didn't care what she had to say at all, and that made it so much harder for Rukia to ask what she had to ask.

She took a deep breath and said quietly, "Ichigo, please-tell me the truth-why did you save me?"


	3. Chapter 3

I still don't own Bleach despite my efforts..

Chapter 3

Truths and Lies

Ichigo felt like his world was crumbling and being rebuilt at the same time. Here was the girl that had come into his life and made so many changes. She had changed him and what he believed in. He would die for her, in fact he nearly did-he had thought that he would never see her again and yet here she was, standing in front of him. She looked determined and weary. Then he heard her name again and felt his breath catch in his throat…

"Why?" Ichigo at first didn't understand what she was asking. Then when he did his first reaction was to get angry. Didn't she want to be saved? Had she wanted to die rather than stay with him in his world? Wasn't he good enough, or at least better than death?

"I saved you Rukia, because I thought that you would rather be alive, sorry if I was mistaken.." he said the last while turning away from her. How could he have been so naïve? Did he really think that she would be grateful to him? That she would run into his arms and thank him? He hadn't realized until now that he was still hoping for that…he wanted her in so many ways and it was becoming clear how impossible all of that was.

"That's not what I meant. I want to know why you risked your life to come after me!" Rukia shouted at him-he could feel her anger and he got some small satisfaction from that. If he had to be in agony because of her then she should have to feel some pain also.

So, he threw on his best annoyed face and turned back to her, "I only came after to fulfill my debt to you. You saved me and my family and nearly died doing that. I was just returning the favor."

Ichigo was too wrapped up in feeling sickening feeling in his stomache to notice how that had affected Rukia. She took a step back from him as if he had just struck her and cringed. Her violet eyes only betrayed her pain for a moment, and then it was gone again, in it's place was her cold demeanor.

"I see. So you felt you owed me something, that's all."

Ichigo forced out a harsh laugh, "Yeah, that's right. Now I'm paid up-I don't owe you anything anymore Rukia. So tell me now, why did you come back?"

Rukia turned away from him and wrapped her arms around her torso. "Why would you think I came back Ichigo?" she felt herself getting furious with him. He didn't care about her at all, it was more about his own stupid pride and morals than anything to do with her. He wasn't happy that she had come back at all. Now, unfortunately she had no choice but to stay until her mission was completed-she would have to stay in order to do that. But, at least, she knew the truth about his feelings for her. She couldn't let on about her own feelings now, she had to be much more careful.

"Did you think I had changed my mind?" she said with a smile meant to anger him. She noted with satisfaction the shocked look on his face that disappeared quickly.

"No, I haven't, I've only returned under orders. Despite my protests I was chosen for a rather important assignment and was forced to come because of my…experience here."

So what was a little lie anyway? Ichigo wouldn't have to know she had chosen to come back.

"I understand." Ichigo said, his scowl firmly back in place. "You are here to tend to your Death God duties."

"Among other things yes, that is right." She said taking a more offensive stance. She was sure he had no idea how she really felt right now. This had been a defining moment for them. She knew if he had answered how she had hoped, she would have given up everything, the mission be damned, just to stay with him. Once she had started in on it, there would be no way to turn back without endangering it. Now she had no choice but to proceed with it.

Her answer piqued Ichigo's interest, "What other things would you have to do?"

She almost flinched. Damn, she hadn't meant to let that out so soon. "Just an assignment is all. It's nothing to concern yourself with. In the meantime, we will continue our work as Death Gods."

_Wait…what had she said? They were going to continue to work together? Oh hell…_

"Rukia, you can't think that…I mean-you don't need me to do that, right?" _Please, there has to be a way for me to get out of working with her. I can't be around her all the time like I was before-it hurts too much just to look at her._

Rukia sighed, "Of course I need you to fight them Ichigo. In my weakened state there is no way that I could do this on my own. My Soul Slayer still has not returned, there would be no way for me to send souls on…let alone fight Hollows efficiently."

"They sent you back here without your powers? You mean you haven't recovered yet? I thought that in this time that you would have"

Rukia almost smiled at his show of concern, almost. "No, I don't have my powers back. The injuries I received still have not healed-damage done to the soul takes much longer to heal and that is hampering the recovery of my Death God abilities."

_This isn't good. She's even more vulnerable now then she was before she went back to Soul Society. She shouldn't have come back here so soon. I'm sure she knows that, so why would she come back…unless something very important was here._

Ichigo never being one to be subtle asked "What's so important that you had to come back before your powers returned fully?"

Rukia's eyes widened in concern for a moment before she remembered the assignment. She managed another lie instead of screaming out that she had to come back because of him and stated coldly "I told you that doesn't concern you. It is for me alone to do and it won't require my powers so that isn't a factor."

Ichigo let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, "Oh, right."

Satisfied with her cover Rukia decided that she needed to get away from him before he could ask her anymore questions like that.

"Well, I'd hate to further damage your image, I know you've tried so hard to build it up-so I'll just go and have lunch with Inoue. I'll see you later." She said and turned to walk away from him. Her eyes were on fire and she felt like there was a knife embedded in her heart. But, she had work to do, she couldn't let her feelings get in the way now. There was no reason anymore.

Ichigo watched Rukia leave him…again. It seemed like she was always walking away from him. But who could blame her, right? He's just a human with some extra spirit power-sure it's more than normal-a lot more. So what if he saved her from dying, it was his fault she was in that position anyway…now she was leaving him again. He watched her go, watched the gentle sway of her hips, her graceful steps and the way the wind blew her hair about her delicate frame. He sighed, how in hell was he going to be able to keep his feelings hidden from her?

Rukia found Inoue seated with her other friends and timidly walked up to them. "Inoue?"

"Kuchiki! Oh I'm soo glad that you've come back, please sit down and eat lunch with us!"

Rukia gave her a grateful smile and took a seat next to her. Before she knew it she was engaged in conversation with them all about all of their plans for this year. They discussed the new classes, their favorites and dislikes.

Inoue was nice enough to share her lunch with Rukia, seems as how she hadn't thought to bring one for herself when she left Soul Society. Trying not to be rude, Rukia timidly took a bit of the strangely spiced rice ball…

"Do you like it Kuchiki? It's one of my specialties!" Inoue asked hopefully.

Surprisingly, Rukia thought it was one of the best things she had ever tasted-that was strange.

"Oh it's absolutely wonderful Inoue!" she said around a mouthful.

A little shocked, but proud of herself, Inoue went on to explain what was in it –

"It's the same rice, but with some cayenne pepper, ginger and bean paste mixed in! I'm so glad that you like it! Tomorrow I planned on bringing some bread and a fish flavored yogurt spread, would you like me to bring you some?"

As she listened to Inoue's explanation she decided she would rather just eat the food and not know what was in it…"Uh, of course Inoue, I'd love some. But, why don't you surprise me with the tastes of the foods. Don't ever tell me whats in it alright?"

"Oh, I can do that Kuchiki, you'll see!" Inoue said with a determined face.

"Kuchiki, I almost feel sorry for you now!" Tatsuki cut in. Rukia shot her a quieting frown and she nearly fell over laughing.

Before they knew it, lunch was over and they were returning to class. Rukia walked in with the rest of the girls laughing and talking. She had missed this as well. She was fitting in and it felt so right to be here.

Then she saw Ichigo glaring at her from across the room and her smile faded as her steps slowed. _He's so angry with me for coming back. Now he knows his life can't return to normal, and it's my fault. I bet he wishes that he never saved me at all._

Rukia moved to her seat and avoided his stare for the rest of the class.

Ichigo noticed this, he saw how she seemed genuinely happy when she came in with the other girls. That wasn't one of her fake smiles she had on, although it wasn't the one he really wanted to see. He wanted to see her smile at him, with her eyes shining. When she smiled at him she had a tiny dimple that would show. He missed it. Then he saw her notice him and she stopped smiling, looked to the ground and came to her seat.

He reached a hand out to tap her on the back-he wanted to talk to her again, but he had no idea of what he was going to say, so he pulled his hand back, and tried to focus on his instructor for the rest of class.

Once class was finally over, Ichigo decided he would have to talk with Rukia again. After all, he didn't know if she was still going to stay with him or not. He assumed she would be and he wanted her to know that she was welcome to.

He gathered up his things quickly but when he turned expecting to see her there, she was gone. He tried to find her, but found that it was useless.

"I guess she has other plans at the moment." He muttered to himself and made his way home.

Rukia did have other plans. She had to start on her work and now was as good a time as any. She needed some information and thought that Inoue was her safest bet. She probably wouldn't think anything of a simple question, so she was the most likely to stay quiet about it.

Once class let out, Rukia bolted outside with her books in her arms and waited for Inoue. Once she saw her she ran up to her side, "Hey Inoue, I was wondering if I could walk with you for awhile?"

Inoue was more than happy to oblige, "Sure Kuchiki, we just have to wait for Tatsuki and we can go!"

Rukia couldn't help but grin back at Inoue-even after everything she had been through she still had the same sweet innocent look about her.

It didn't take long for Tatsuki to find them and they started on their way. For most of the walk Rukia was lost in trying to find a simple way to phrase her question without raising suspicion. It really wouldn't work out well if Inoue thought something was going on and reported back to Ichigo. He was the last person she wanted to know what she was doing.

"Kuchiki, is something wrong?" Inoue asked with her concern evident.

"Yeah, you seem a little spaced out about something." Tatsuki joined in.

"Hm? Oh, yes I'm fine. I just-I had a question I wanted to ask you Inoue."

_Now is as good as ever, right?_

"Oh, alright what is it?"

"I was wondering if you knew of a student that goes to our school. I just need to know some things about him. His name is Kiraya Jin, do you know him?"


	4. Chapter 4

**I'd just like to take a moment to thank the one, solitary reviewer that I had. Thanks Jaina-I'm not sure I would have kept posting if you hadn't reviewed. I've had a high number of hits, so I'd really like to thank you for taking the time to submit a review. So to everyone else that reads this-thank Jaina.**

Still don't own Bleach.

Chapter 4

Complications

"Kiraya? Why do you want to know about him Kuchiki?" was Tatsuki's response.

Rukia was a little taken aback. She hadn't really thought this out as well as she had thought. She hadn't counted on bringing this up in front of Tatsuki, but she already had now, so she had better finish it and get all of the information that she could.

"Oh, I just heard some people talking about him…I was wondering if what I heard was true." She said, trying to come up with a plausible reason.

"Well, whatever you heard is probably true. He's not the best of people you know." Tatsuki said, apparently taking what Rukia said as truth.

However, this reaction intrigued Rukia-so she pressed for more information.

"Do you know anything else about him then?" she questioned.

This time it was Inoue who answered, "Let's see, he's one year ahead of us, though he should be a senior. He's missed a lot of school, that was last year, so he had to repeat this year. He's tall and has white hair. He doesn't seem very nice Kuchiki-if you see him you should do what I do and just keep on walking!"

"Really, he's that bad?" Rukia asked, starting to think maybe they did have the right person after all.

"Kuchiki, he's known for a few things. One of them is that he's not very nice to women. He had this girlfriend, and well-she tended to get hurt a lot. Nothing was ever done about it, and everyone knows what really happened. But, she was just either too scared or too in love with him to do anything about it. He's always looking for some new girl…"

Rukia was a little shocked at this. If this was true, it could work to her advantage-but she'd definitely have to be careful about it.

"Oh, he's got these horrible eyes! They seem to draw you in if you look at them for too long. That's how he got his last girlfriend, and she was so nice, too nice to try and stop him." Inoue added regretfully.

Rukia shook her head, "If everyone knew what was happening, why didn't they do something about it? I mean, if this girl was really that nice, I'm sure her family or her friends would have done something! This just doesn't make any snese."

Tatsuki stopped walking and turned to face her, "Alright Kuchiki, I'll tell you what else he's known for. He has connections. No one really knows who it's with-but there have been times that he's gotten into trouble, just like with his last girlfriend-you know, I think she did finally stand up to him, that's why she isn't here anymore."

"What do you mean? He sent he away or something like that?"

"I don't believe that, I don't think anyone does really. All we know is that one day she came to school and looked really bad. The two of them had a bad fight during lunch that day. After that day, she never came back to class. Kiraya told everyone she had decided to move in with some family that lived far away."

"Wow, that's strange…" "Oh that's not all Kuchiki, in fact, you might want to watch your step. He likes your type you know. The ones that are so sweet and petite. I don't have to worry about 'Hime here because of that. He's got this kind of charm that seems to make most girls believe him, I'm not sure what he does to them, but it can't be anything good."

Rukia looked at them both and put on a wide smile, "Well then, thank you for letting me know the truth before anything could happen!"

Tatsuki thought her reaction was a little strange. She also thought it was odd that she would even bring it up, no one talked about Kiraya around school like that. They were all too afraid to. It's not like he was terrorizing the school or anything, and he didn't have a new girlfriend either-so she couldn't figure out why anyone would be talking about him-so how would Kuchiki have heard about it?

"Would you both like to come with me to the market? I've got some shopping to do for our lunch tomorrow Kuchiki!" Inoue broke in, trying to lighten the darkening mood.

"I'd love to Inoue!" Rukia said in her best cheerful voice. The three of them went to the market and Rukia had one of her first experiences in grocery shopping. It was actually a lot of fun and she had to admit she enjoyed spending time with the two of them. Afterwards, she stayed with them until they reached Inoue's apartment. She told them she had better get home and left, remembering she still had to make sure it was alright with Ichigo that she stayed with him.

By the time she left Inoue's it was already getting dark, so she decided that she had better hurry and started jogging. Along the way, she received orders through her cell of a Hollow about to appear. It was actually pretty far from Ichigo's, so she started running as fast as she could.

She ran the rest of the way to his house and by the time she got there she was panting so heavily she wondered if she would be able to speak at all. She managed to climb up to his window. It was open-he didn't used to leave it open like that. She tossed her books in first and then heaved herself inside, practically collapsing on the floor once she got in.

Her precursory look around the room showed her that not much had changed and that Ichigo wasn't in his room. So, she tried to calm her breathing as best she could by taking slow deep breaths and picked up her books to put them on his desk.

When Ichigo came back into his room after eating dinner he nearly dropped the extra plate of food he had brought up, just in case. There was Rukia with her back to him, leaning over his desk and panting heavily. She looked like she might be hurt…something was wrong.

"Rukia, what is it?" Ichigo asked rushing to her side and setting the food down. She hadn't even noticed him come inside.

Her head jerked up and she looked at him. She opened her mouth to talk, but nothing came out.

He quickly looked her over and not seeing any damage asked, "Is it a Hollow?"

Rukia could only nod. Ichigo pulled out his substitute Death God certificate and changed into a Death God. He turned his back to her and said "Get on, lets go."

Rukia stood rooted to the spot for a moment. I have to get on his back…that's right. I can do this, there is no reason I can't, right? I'm a Death God, my feelings do not get in the way of my duty.

She took a deep breath and moved to him, he crouched down lower for her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, which he visibly tensed at. She paused for a moment, feeling the corded muscles of his neck tighten under her touch.

_He must really hate me._ "Rukia, hurry up, let's go." He bent down farther and grabbed her legs in a firm grip and wrapped them around his waist.

Rukia let out a little gasp as she was pressed against his back and thought she heard Ichigo grunt. She decided that the best course of action was to try and make a joke about it.

"Am I too heavy for you Ichigo, have you really gotten that weak?" she chided him.

Ichigo was grateful for that distraction. Having her pressed up against him and his hands on her thighs he was having problems concentrating on the upcoming fight. "Heh, yeah right Rukia."

He made a show of leaping out of his window and asked, "Which way?"

"It's near a park a few miles west of here, it still hasn't shown up but it will soon. The orders came in awhile ago."

Rukia tried to put distance in between their bodies, but soon she was reprimanded for doing so by Ichigo saying that it was making it harder for him to hold onto her. So, she pressed closer to him and wrapped her arms all the way around his neck.

As they got closer to the park, Rukia leaned in much closer to his ear so he could hear her an she said, "It should be just passed those trees on our right."

He could feel her breath on his neck, almost visualize her lips that close to his skin. He got chills and let out an involuntary shudder as he kept running.

"Are you alright?" Rukia asked, noticing him shake. Was he sick? He could only nod back to her.

She was still close to him, he could feel her heart beating, her soft skin against his hard muscles…_Dammit! I have to focus on this fight, not Rukia. There is a Hollow up here and if I don't get a hold of myself, someone could get hurt! Focus dammit!_

When they broke through the trees they immediately saw the Hollow. It wasn't anything too strong, but it certainly wasn't weak either. It was after a small child's spirit that was here.

Rukia jumped off of his back and he pulled out Zangetsu. They both started running toward them, Ichigo to fight the Hollow and Rukia to get the child to safety. The Hollow noticed them too late, and as Ichigo engaged it, he pushed it back away from Rukia who was helping the child to it's feet.

"A Death God?" it asked him "How lucky I am!" and lunged for him. Rukia watched as she shoved the child behind her and moved away from the fight. She wouldn't be of any help to him, but her body was still ready to leap into the fight if she needed to.

But there was no way in hell Ichigo was going to let this Hollow get the better of him, not in front of Rukia at least. He wanted to show her how strong he was, that he wasn't just a useless human.

He made quick work of it, dodging a few easy attacks, using a feint to the left and then a leap up and around for a perfect slaying at the back of it's skull. The Hollow dissipated and Ichigo walked up to Rukia. She was staring at him wide eyed, like she had never seen him do that before. He chose to ignore that and asked, "Where is the kid?"

Rukia couldn't seem to answer him, the words wouldn't form in her throat. She looked down and the small spirit poked it's head out from behind her. Rukia had her arm protectively around the child's shoulders and for some reason that angered Ichigo. He envied the child Rukia's touch. Hadn't she just been on his back with her arms around his shoulders?

"Alright kid, are you ready to go to Heaven?" he asked the child. The little boy seemed afraid, so Rukia got down to eye level with him, not that it was that far to go…

"You'll be alright, it's a lot better than here. You won't have to be afraid or hurt or even hungry!" she said, trying to ease the child into the idea of moving on.

Finally, he nodded and turned to Ichigo. Rukia stood behind him, her hands still on his shoulders as Ichigo placed the base of his hilt against his forehead. The boy disappeared from their sight.

Rukia flipped open her cell phone instead of looking at Ichigo. "Anything else?" he asked almost hopefully.

Rukia shook her head. "No, there isn't anything else" She closed the phone and slipped it into her pocket. Ichigo looked at Rukia, who seemed to rather look anywhere but at him.

"What's the matter with you?" he demanded in an almost accusatory tone. Why the hell won't she look at me?

Her eyes snapped up to his and he immediately regretted what he had said. She looked so tired. This was her first day back and she was already exhausted when she had gotten to him.

"Excuse me? I'm fine Ichigo, you don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself." She threw back at him and turned on her heel to leave. Ichigo stood there dumbly for a few moments, trying to figure out just what had happened. She was obviously pissed about something, but as far as he knew, he was the one who should be pissed off. Rukia is the one who came back here and crashed into his life again…

He was staring at his feet…he wanted so badly to go after her and hold her in his arms. He wanted to press her head against his chest and wrap his arms around her torso, he wanted her to reach up and place hers around his shoulders…he looked up and couldn't see her.

"Shit" she was gone. He could still feel her, though not very well. He wasn't ever very good at that after all. He started off in her direction and began scanning his surroundings.

It didn't take him long at all to find her. He took a leap into the air and landed right in front of her, causing her to crash right into his chest and then stumble backwards. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"Ichigo" she said, panting heavily again. She put one hand on both of his arms and he realized she was leaning into him. For a moment, he didn't understand and his hopes began to rise. Then he noticed her face was covered in beads of sweat and heard her breathing.

"You're exhausted." He stated in a frigid voice. He sighed again and moved his arms away from her and turned around. "Climb on, I'll carry you home." When he didn't feel her weight against him he said over his shoulder, "If you walk home you won't get there till morning, now get on Rukia."

Rukia stiffened at his orders but then complied too tired to argue. She climbed on again, and this time let her head rest against his back. Ichigo took off at amazing speed and she realized he was right.

"You really haven't recovered much have you Rukia?" he asked her quietly once they were back inside of his room. She looked down, "No, I haven't." She went to the closet and opened the door. She was shocked to see the closet the same as she had left it.

"It's all still here…" she whispered as she shot Ichigo a look. He had his back to her and didn't respond, so she assumed that he hadn't heard. She took out the pajamas and left his room.

"I'm going to take a shower."

Ichigo waited until he heard his door shut before he fell back onto his bed. Of course it was just as she had left it. Why would he move anything of hers? If he did it was like he was accepting that she wasn't coming back.

He disrobed and threw on his own pajama pants and slid into his bed. He was tired too. This had been a long day…he replayed it all through his mind from waking up this morning to now. He didn't hear Rukia come back in, but he saw her sit down quietly at his desk and eat the food he had left there for her.

"I saw you eating with Inoue today. Was it just me or were you actually eating her food?"

Rukia almost choked on her mouthful of food, but managed to swallow and then look at him. She smirked at him and said, "No, she was kind enough to share her lunch with me when she saw I didn't have any."

"Oh, you must be hungry then…" Ichigo said, assuming she wouldn't have eaten much at lunch if all she had available was Inoue's.

"Actually, I'm not that hungry, I ate my fill of Inoue's cooking. It's really quite good, have you ever tried it?" she asked him sweetly.

"What?" Ichigo said. He must have had a pretty strange look on his face because Rukia laughed and let him see her smile, complete with dimple. It was his smile…God how he missed that smile she gave only to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to nana and Fish Pancakes we have chapter 5 up! The faster you guys review, the faster I'll post the next chapter-I can keep up with it! Remember, writers really feed off of reviews so if you liked this at all please let me know!

Chapter 5

Start of the Mission

The next morning Ichigo woke up to his alarm…reacting on his reflexes only he was already reaching for the alarm clock-Rukia hated the sound it made and he didn't want her to have to wake up to it.

Then he hesitated and grinned to himself. Oh yes he did. He wanted her to have to wake up to it...He moved his arm back down to his side and shifted his gaze to the closed closet doors.

It didn't take long for one of them to slide open and for a pillow to come flying out at him. He suppressed a laugh and caught it. "Something the matter Rukia?" he asked.

"Ugh…go to hell Ichigo." He heard Rukia say.

_Maybe everything is going to be alright after all…_

Ichigo quickly got up and dressed for school while he heard Rukia rustling around in the closet. He only let himself imagine what was going on inside for a moment, then made his way downstairs where he wolfed down his own breakfast and snuck up some extra food for Rukia.

He made it safely into his room and said, "Rukia, hurry up, I've got your breakfast, we need to go soon." He turned and saw her open the door and slip down from her bed. It was like it was all in slow motion…her skirt rode up on her thighs and he caught a glimpse of pale flesh that sent his mind racing. She landed easily and straightened her skirts as she walked over to him and took the plate of food. He watched her hips sway and then her lips as she ate the food he brought her.

"Ichigo?" she said, and he saw the questioning lilt of her lips-it was bordering on concern…concern for him?

"Ichigo is something wrong?" she asked him again. "Oh, uh, n-no everything is just fine."

She turned from him and finished the food in one large bite as she set the plate down and bent to pick up her bag. That was when Ichigo decided that the skirts the girls had to wear at his school were just a little too short…or maybe it was just Rukia's.

She moved to the window and jumped down easily. Ichigo grabbed his things as well and hurried downstairs, completely avoiding all conversation with his family as he ran out the front door. She was already on her way-she hadn't waited for him…

"Shit" he was still hoping that she would change her mind. He tried to be angry with her, but found he couldn't. "Shit" he repeated and hurried up to her side.

"Thanks for waiting patiently." He said casually. "Oh, you're welcome Ichigo!" she replied in the disgustingly sweet voice he hated so much.

"Dammit Rukia! When it's just the two of us you don't have to talk like that ya know. I don't like it when you put on that act."

Rukia smiled up at him and said in the same tone, "Oh but Ichigo, it's just so much more fun this way!"

"What? You just do that to piss me off? What the hell Rukia!" he screamed at her.

"Ichigo! Please don't use that language around me, it's so unsavory!"

"Wh-" Ichigo cut off. Rukia was smiling again, although this time she was trying to hide it, but he could see it clearly in her eyes. They were so bright and clear and full of life. That was ironic, considering she was a Death God-but it was true. Whenever he was around her she seemed to make him feel more alive.

He sighed and decided he would try not to look into her eyes anymore. There was too much there…too much he wanted but couldn't have.

The rest of the walk was spent in companionable silence. Rukia cherished it-she knew they probably wouldn't have too much more of it. Not after what she had to do today. Today was the day that she would 'accidentally' bump into Kiraya Jin.

Once they reached the school, they instinctively stayed close to one another-each silently begging the other not to move away. They each went to their desks, Rukia with an extremely cheerful smile and Ichigo with his same scowl.

While they had navigated the hallways, Ichigo had noticed that Rukia was scanning each face carefully. When they sat down, he leaned up to her and whispered in her ear, "Looking for someone special Rukia?" he had meant it as a joke, but when he saw her back stiffen and heard her swift intake of breath, his heart nearly stopped beating in his chest.

"Rukia!" he said with more force than intended. "Look-at-me." If she would look at him he would be able to tell if she was lying.

She did turn around and plastered on the same cheerful face, "What if I was Ichigo? Would it matter?"

Rukia had thought that would shut him up, it had worked perfectly. She silently marveled at the shocked look on Ichigo's face and how his mouth just hung open like that…she stifled her own chuckle and turned back to face the front.

Inoue came in then and came straight over to Rukia. "Kuchiki, I brought us our lunch, I can't wait for you to try it! Hello Kurosaki!"

Rukia turned to see Ichigo staring at her dumbfounded and winked at him-he almost fell out of his chair and his face was starting to turn bright red. Then she turned around and said to Inoue, "Oh that's great Inoue! I can't wait to try it either, just remember, surprises only from now on okay?"

Inoue made a gesture Rukia thought was supposed to be a salute and went over to her own seat. When Rukia turned back around to Ichigo his face had turned back to it's original color, but his eyes were still wide. "Surprise?"

She nodded, "Yes, we have an agreement, as long as she doesn't tell me what's actually in the food, I'll still eat it." Rukia was rewarded when Ichigo actually fell out of his chair.

"Kuchiki! You look great today!" came Keigo's voice out of nowhere. Rukia turned to him and replied "Good morning Keigo, how are you today?"

Again, before she could react he grabbed her hand and placed another quick kiss on it. Still holding her hand he said "I'm great now that I've seen you Kuchiki!"

Rukia was so stunned by his behavior and what he had just said she could only smile at him and try to think of a nice way of getting him to let go of her.

"You can let go now." Came a voice that sounded strangely like Ichigo's. She couldn't resist looking over to him. He wasn't looking at her, but staring at her hand being held by Keigo.

"But Ichigo!" he wailed. But once Ichigo started to stand up he immediately let go of her and moved away. Ichigo sat back down and looked to Rukia who shot him a thankful smile. He nodded back.

Keigo started in a quiet voice that only a few around him could hear, "Ichigo what does it matter to you anyway, it's not like she has a boyfriend, and if she did it's certainly not you…unless. Ichigo! How could you do this to me!" Keigo wailed again.

"I haven't done anything. We are just friends and that's all we ever will be. Rukia is the last person that I would ever be with!" he said, embarrassed by the attention Keigo was drawing to them.

He didn't notice the flash of pain in Rukia's eyes, or the firm resolve that slowly filtered into them afterwards. _Well, if I had any qualms about what I was about to do they're gone now…_

Lunch came much more quickly that day and again, Ichigo found himself looking for Rukia. He remembered she would be eating with Inoue again today and could easily see her from the roof where he was with his friends. He saw her hesitantly taking some kind of bread from Inoue and taking a bite. He smiled and his eyes amber eyes softened. _She looks so innocent like that_. He almost laughed when he saw her slump slightly with relief and take another bite.

He hadn't realized he was staring until he noticed all of his friends looking in the same direction. He looked up and saw Chad there, who followed his gaze to Rukia then back to himself-Chad nodded knowingly and turned away. Then it was Ishida who he saw also staring down at the group of girls. He was staring a little too hard in Ichigo's opinion until he realized Ishida wasn't staring at Rukia.

"Kuchiki is looking so good today. Did you notice?" Keigo asked to no one in particular.

"Yeah." Ichigo heard himself say. Shit…that was out loud?

"Now that you mention it, she does look exceptional today." Mizuiro added in.

Ichigo felt his fists clench onto the railing. _There was no reason for either of them to be looking at Rukia…then again, why did she look so good today?_

He turned around to them to try and change the subject and found them both staring intently at Rukia.

"I have a plan!" Keigo announced. "I know a way I can get Kuchiki to go out with me!"

"Oh really?" Ichigo asked. _Like Rukia would ever…_

"If she likes Inoue's food that much, imagine how much she'd appreciate regular food! I can offer to cook dinner for her, or to take her out to dinner! That's an even better idea."

_He sounds excited…what's the harm in letting him ask her? She'll say no anyway, so it won't matter. This time I can act casual about it so I can repair some of the damage done this morning…_

"You know, maybe you should ask her Keigo." He said as nonchalantly as he could.

"What?" Keigo said…"I thought you'd be-uh..not happy about it."

Ichigo shrugged "It's like you said, she doesn't have a boyfriend, and it's certainly not me, so what do I care?"

"Thanks Ichigo, I'll ask her then!" Keigo said. Mizuiro just looked at Ichigo and shook his head with a smile on his face.

Ichigo turned back around to where the girls were all eating and noticed right away that Rukia was no longer with them. He figured she had gotten orders or something along those lines, so he decided to go down to them and see if he could find her faster.

Rukia had finished eating her bread and salmon yogurt quickly, finding that it wasn't as appetizing as it sounded. She idly participated in conversation with the other girls when she finally spotted him.

_He was tall..taller than Ichigo. Why am I comparing him to Ichigo? Well, it's got to be him. He's the only one here with white hair. It's now or never-no turning back after this point._

She made some excuse about having to use the bathroom and excused herself from the other girls. She made sure she was aware of where the man was-he was heading inside. She was in front of him, walking a little slower than he was-then she quickly turned around at the last minute and crashed into him. She made a show of losing her balance and falling backwards.

Unfortunately she did an excellent job of losing her balance and she really did fall. On top of that, apparently Kiraya's reflexes weren't nearly as good as Ichigo's and she fell…hard. Somehow she had managed to twist herself into an odd position and landed on her left arm.

She let out a low moan before she realized it and then felt two very large hands on her helping her up. He had lifted her up to his eye level and was frowning at her. Once she saw his mouth open she went into action

"Oh! I am so sorry, I am so clumsy sometimes. I really need to watch where I am going, I'm terribly-ow-sorry for running into you like that!" He was starting to look at her with more interest now.

"Can you forgive me…" then he smiled at her and she knew why the other girls had fallen for him-there was something in those eyes that he seemed able to just turn on and off. If she didn't have power of her own, she might not have been able to resist it.

"Kiraya Jin, please call me Jin Miss-?"

Rukia put on one of her best smiles in response and said "Kuchiki Rukia!"

He moved to put her down and said, "I'm sure that I can forgive someone as lovely as yourself Rukia."

Rukia felt an urge to slap him right away. He had used her first name and they had just met-she hadn't given him permission to…

"Oh thank you!" she said instead. Then she cradled her left arm as it started to throb. Kiraya didn't move, he just looked at her, waiting for her to say something. She would have to go a little bit farther…she had to gain his interest. From what she knew he liked small young and innocent girls. She decided she would play the damsel in distress, maybe it would work…

"Well, I'd better get going…I-" she started to walk away and then stopped suddenly, letting herself sway a little as she put a hand to her head "Oh"

She felt his hands on her waist-not her shoulders she noted-steadying her. "Are you alright Rukia?" he said in a low voice.

It was working-she just had to play it a little more. "Oh-yes…I-I'm fine" she said. He removed his hands then and she took two steps forward before letting herself pitch backwards into him-he couldn't miss her this time.

She closed her eyes and let herself go limp in his arms. She heard him call her name once, and slowly let her eyes open. "Oh…I'm so sorry…" she said again. "I think…I need to lie down." She said, moving her hand back to her head again.

His eyes seemed to be devouring her, and she realized that the top button of her blazer had come undone-she blushed and moved to do it back up. She cringed as her left wrist throbbed in pain again. She looked back up at Kiraya-who was smiling at her again, charming her…

"I think I'd better help you, I'd hate for you to fall and no one be there to catch you-Rukia" the way he said her name made a small ball of apprehension form in her stomach-but she smiled back up at him and nodded slowly.

"You had better go and get your things, you probably won't be back before class starts." He said. Again Rukia nodded as he set her back on her feet. She slowly walked over to her group of friends-making sure to take small even steps and sway a little as she went. Once she got there she saw them all gaping at her. Especially Tatsuki.

"Kuchiki…didn't you hear a word I said yesterday?" she whispered. Rukia looked at her and smiled.

"Oh no, I'll be fine. I just fell and he's going to make sure I get to the nurse's office alright-that's all." She said in a wavering voice.

Tatsuki regarded her skeptically. "I can take you…we can all take you-don't go with him. He's trying to get to you Kuchiki. We could hear what he was saying, the way he looked at you and touched you. He's not safe."

Rukia wanted to thank her-but she couldn't. She had to just brush it off, or act like she did.

"Oh, he seems so nice to me! What could this hurt? It's just a walk to the nurse's office!"

"Rukia, we need to get going." He said behind her. _Damn he's impatient and demanding._

Still, she gathered her things into her arms and stood up to turn to him. "Yes, let's go." She said.

Then she felt a stabbing pain in her left arm, let out a little cry and dropped her books. She stared at them dumbfounded. She really must have hurt her arm…

"Here let me carry these for you, it's the least I can do after I knocked you down."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that. I mean, thank you-but"

She stopped at his frown at her and let him carry the books. She walked beside him several steps before she swayed again rather dramatically. She used her right arm to grab him to steady herself and she stopped.

"You really must have hit your head, why don't you let me carry you too?" he asked with a teasing sparkle in his eyes.

_It's like he's daring me to let him…just so he can touch me. God…why couldn't Ichigo do that?_

The fact that _he_ was still intruding into her thoughts made up her mind for her and she nodded.

Kiraya looked a little surprised, but quickly bent down and gathered her into his arms, shifting the books he had onto her lap. "Put your arm around my neck to steady yourself. You can lay your head back if that will help." He suggested.

Rukia, knowing that it would please him if she complied did just that. She could hear some students around her gasp.

She even closed her eyes to show him how much she trusted him. After he took a few strides she could feel his eyes on her and he asked "I haven't seen you before, are you new this year?"

This was going exactly as she wanted it to. "I started here late last year actually. I haven't seen you around before either though." She said as she opened her eyes to stare up at him.

"That's surprising. I'm sort of infamous around here, what with what happened with my last girlfriend and all."

_Here it comes, this is how he is going to explain away all of the rumors about him…_

"What do you mean?" Rukia asked him innocently.

"You haven't heard?" he asked, truly shocked. She shook her head slowly.

"Well, my last girlfriend and I …we were very close. Her father didn't like how close we were and started beating her for it. Most people think that it was me that did it to her. Especially since the last time anyone saw me with her we had a huge fight-it was about how her father was making her move to get her away from me." He said the last not looking at her.

_He's trying to play me-he wants my sympathy, to feel sorry for him because he 'loved' her and she didn't love him as much in return. Then he was punished for it…I can use this…_

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea." Rukia said softly. Kiraya looked at her and nodded, "Thanks, I think you are the only one who has told me that and meant it."

Before she knew it they were at the office and he took her inside. "Her name is Rukia and she took a bad fall. She hurt her left arm and I think she hit her head too-she seems dizzy." He filled the nurse in for her.

Rukia sat helplessly in his arms and nodded her confirmation.

Kiraya laid her down on a comfortable cot and set her books on the floor beside it. "Did you need anything before I go Rukia?" he asked.

She nodded and asked, "Would you please tell my instructor what happened so she knows why I am absent?"

"Of course" he said with a smile. The nurse gave him a note to take as well and he opened the door to leave, "I'll see you later Rukia."

"Yeah, see you later Kiraya."

"It's Jin for you." Rukia looked at him-there was something in that gaze-she had to know what he was doing…

"See you later…Jin"


	6. Chapter 6

Don't own Bleach

**Anything in bold is hollow Ichigo's thoughts.**

Chapter 6

Accidents Happen

Ichigo wasn't able to find Rukia anywhere. He got a sick feeling in his stomach. Had she gone off to fight a Hollow on her own? Had she gone back to Soul Society again, without telling him-just left him…again?

He was outside now, searching for her. Trying to figure out where she had gone he went up to Inoue.

"Hey Inoue, have you seen Rukia around-I can't seem to find-"

"That idiot did the worst thing imaginable!" Ichigo jerked his attention to his old friend.

"Who did what now Arisawa?"

"Kuchiki…she just let him carry her off-like he is some shining white knight come to her rescue. How does he do that to girls anyway? As soon as she looked at him she practically melted in his arms-even after everything we told her yesterday!"

Ichigo felt himself fill with rage. _Carry? Rukia was letting some guy carry her? She 'melted' in his arms? Who the hell…_

"Who?" was all Ichigo could manage out between his gritted teeth.

Inoue took pity on him, "Kiraya…she bumped into him and fell. It looked like she got hurt-we saw the whole thing. She was dizzy and couldn't carry her own books so he said he'd take her to the nurse's office. She almost fell again so he just sort of-scooped her up and took her."

Ichigo's rage started to dampen when he heard she had fallen-but his worry intensified. He knew who Kiraya Jin was-he was NOT someone he wanted Rukia around-especially alone and in her weakened condition. Then something Arisawa had said caused him to pause.

"Arisawa, you said you had talked to Rukia about him?"

"Yeah, I told her all about him yesterday. She actually asked us both if we knew anything about him-so we told her all of it, and to be careful around him. I tried to stop her from going with him-I said it wasn't safe for her to go, but she just kind of laughed it off and went anyway. I'm sorry Ichigo, I tried to stop her."

Ichigo thought that was a little strange. Why in hell would Rukia want to know about him? Rukia isn't stupid-she wouldn't go off alone with him for no reason…

**Unless she wanted to Ichigo.**

_There is no way that is possible-shut up!_

Ichigo turned on his heel, fully intending to go make sure he was wrong…but the bell for class rang. He wouldn't have time. He couldn't just miss class, besides, Rukia would be there soon anyway…he hoped.

**Unless…**

He was trying to stay calm, but class had already started and Rukia wasn't back yet. He was gripping the sides of his desk letting all sorts of horrible images run through his mind when the door opened interrupting the instructor

It was him-Kiraya Jin strode into the class. He walked up to the instructor and handed her a note, "Rukia is in the nurse's office-she had a small accident over lunch and it looks like she might have gotten hurt. She'll be back as soon as she can, but just wanted to make sure you knew where she was." He said

Ichigo thought he might like to become a Death God right now and kill him.

**You should-he has no power. It would put an end to this thing between he and Rukia, wouldn't it?**

_I told you to shut the hell up! There is nothing between them…there can't be._

"I see. Well thank you for letting us know Kiraya, but please return to your own classes now as I'm sure they've noticed you are missing."

He nodded to her before turning to leave. "Oh I just bet she had an accident." Ichigo said loud enough for the class to hear.

Kiraya stopped dead in his tracks and faced him "What do you mean by that, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo remembered Kiraya's old girlfriend. He hadn't understood why she did nothing to stop the attacks on herself then. He would be damned if he let this bastard do the same thing to Rukia.

"What do you think it means Kiraya?" he responded. The rest of the class was in quiet awe of Ichigo. No one talked to Kiraya Jin that way-things happened to those that tried.

Before the situation escalated further the instructor stepped in-"I'm sure it means nothing. Return to your class now Kiraya."

He let out a chuckle and left. Ichigo stayed in his seat and tried his best not to imagine Rukia being carried by him.

When the door to the room finally opened and Rukia walked in Ichigo had already imagined so many horrible things happening to her that he had broken out in a sweat.

Looking up and seeing her give him a tentative smile Ichigo felt light headed and felt the block of apprehension melt away. He smiled back at her-then he noticed she had a bandage wrapped around her left arm-she really had been hurt.

If that part of the story was true, how much of the rest of it was? He started to get angry with her again. "Did you have a nice lunch?" he heard himself ask in an accusatory tone.

He saw her turn around to face him and her anger was evident. She shot back at him, "I suppose you heard what happened. Tell me Ichigo, why would it concern you in the slightest?" She regretted telling him that as soon as it was out of her mouth-especially when she saw that it had actually hurt him. They were friends weren't they? Didn't he have a right to care about her then?

She started to apologize but Ichigo's stare stopped her. "Don't say anything else to me Rukia-just don't!"

She had really managed to anger him that time. Why did she have to say things like that to him? She supposed it was because she was still hurt and bitter over the fact he had 'owed her a debt' and that's the only reason he came to save her. She sighed and absently rubbed her sore arm.

There was no turning back now. She had started her operation and there were strong indications that this was indeed the right target. Personally, she didn't care-Kiraya would deserve whatever he got. She certainly didn't want to have to be around him anymore than she had to-but it looked like that was going to be quite a bit.

Thankfully class ended quickly and again Rukia bolted out of the door. She waited at a side exit of the building, hoping to avoid any fellow classmates. It worked easily enough. She assumed Ichigo would be too angry to wait for her anyway, so by the time she planned on heading out, he would be very far ahead of her.

It took a few minutes, but soon she saw Kiraya heading toward her. He had a wicked smile on his face. She gave him a little wave back and waited for him. He walked right up to her and tsked her, "Rukia, what are you doing carrying your books-let me do that." He said, taking them from her arms.

She tried to look grateful rather than annoyed as she nodded. "Are you feeling better, did you need me to carry you again?"

Rukia let herself laugh, "Yes I am, and no I don't."

He nodded and said, "That's too bad, I rather enjoyed it. Would you like for me to walk you home?"

This was what Rukia had been hoping for. She had thought this one out, it would allow them privacy, maintain the image she was trying to show him and allow her to be able to observe him more fully.

"Actually, I was going to go to this little coffee shop…I have a lot of homework to do-but I would love some company!" she said.

Kiraya looked astonished at this offer, and Rukia knew that he really didn't want to go, but that he wanted to look good to her right now-so he accepted.

He held her books in one arm and courteously offered her his other arm to balance off of. She let a giggle escape her and as she moved in to take it, Kiraya leaned down and kissed her.

Rukia just stood there for a moment. What…just happened? Did he really just…kiss me?

Shocked she looked up to see him grinning at her with a triumphant look, "I've been waiting all day to do that."

Rukia was too pissed off to trust herself in saying anything, so she just took his arm and let him lead her. She gave him directions to the coffee shop that wasn't too far away.

They got a booth and ordered some drinks. At first all she wanted to do was actually her homework, but soon she was finished with that. It hadn't taken nearly as long as she had hoped.

When she looked up she saw Kiraya staring at her, "You know, I don't think that you are like the other girls around here."

Rukia blushed prettily and thanked him. "I don't know many guys that are like you either. I mean, carrying me to the nurse's office, walking me home and sitting here with me while I do my homework-it's all very kind of you."

Kiraya looked askance at her, like he was considering his options-like he was appraising her to see if she could live up to his standards.

Rukia didn't enjoy being under his scrutiny, so she decided she would try and ignore him. She heard some faint music in the background and absently drummed her fingers on the tabletop as she took a long gulp of her coffee.

"You like this song?" he asked her, pulling her out of her daze. She set her cup down and said, "Yeah I guess so."

"I do too, it's one of my favorites." That almost made Rukia laugh. How could they have the same tastes in music? He had to be lying..

"Maybe you could sing for me sometime, I bet you have a nice voice." There was something about the way he said that…it made her shiver. She didn't like feeling this way-he made her feel like she wasn't in control. Like he was a predator stalking her, his prey. How had other human girls dealt with this? How could they even stand to be in the same room as him?

She actually could sing, quite well in fact. She had a way to even weave demon magic into her voice. But, she doubted she would ever do that again. It was more of a hobby anyway…Rukia laughed at his praise of her and tried to brush it off, "Maybe someday I will, but only if you behave!" she said with a wicked grin.

Kiraya's eyes lit up and she saw something there…desire? At first she was afraid, but then realized that Kiraya seemed to enjoy that side of her, and for the first time Rukia thought the key to getting information from him was know when to fight back and when not to. If he was to become so infatuated with her that she could get information from him then she would have to be different then all of the other girls he had dominated…she could do that.

"You think you can make me behave?" he asked her, daring her to say yes.

Rukia looked at him for a moment, letting him see her concern and then said, "I think you want me to."

The face he made at her was one of the funniest things she had ever seen. He was incredulous. "Rukia, you are too small to be able to do anything to hurt me!" he said, apparently trying to hold in his laughter.

Rukia got angry at that point, "You think size matter so much? I'm afraid you are mistaken, I might surprise you."

He stopped laughing then, trying to figure out if she had insulted him or not. But Rukia cut him off before he could do too much thinking.

"I've really got to get going, it's getting dark out." She said, gathering up her things.

"Aww Rukia, don't go, I was just starting to have some fun! Stay awhile longer and then I'll walk you home." He made a move to grab her left wrist as she was turning away and ended up twisting it painfully.

She let out a shout and dropped her things. "Let go, that hurts!" she got out through gritted teeth, suppressing her urge to hit him.

"But I don't want you to go Rukia. I want you to stay here." He still hadn't let go of her arm.

That was it. She got right up next to him and said in a deceptively sweet tone, "If you don't let go of me I will make you regret it."

To her shock and his own, he let go obediently. "Rukia…I-"

"It doesn't matter now. I've got to get going." She said as she picked up her remaining things and dashed out of the coffee shop.

She made sure to go in the opposite direction of Ichigo's house. She didn't want Kiraya to have any idea of where she was headed.

After a few blocks of making sure he hadn't followed she turned a corner and made her way to Ichigo's.

There had been no orders that night, luckily for her she hadn't had to make up some excuse to get out of there.

When she arrived at his window, she found it was still open and climbed in. He wasn't there.

"Good, that will make this much easier."

She flipped open her phone and contacted Hitsugaya. "I've made contact. I think I know a way in-I can do it. I don't know how long it will take-yes, I can do it, I will do it at any cost."

She closed the phone and looked about the room. No one was there-in fact, no one even seemed to be home. She decided to take advantage of that and went to take a long hot shower.

She didn't have the luxury of taking them very often. This time she found she wanted it scalding hot, to the point it actually burned her skin. She suddenly felt like she couldn't get clean enough. All she could see was Kiraya kissing her…carrying her…touching her and looking at her like he already owned her.

She let her mind wonder how far she would have to go…she didn't know if she could let him touch her again, but at the same time knew she had to.

She wanted to be clean again-but the soap and hot water didn't seem to be enough. After several intense minutes of burning and scrubbing she got out and toweled herself off. Then she realized she hadn't brought in her pajamas.

"Damn" she muttered as she skittered her way back to Ichigo's room. She heard the front door opening just as she reached his bedroom door. She was quick to open it and step in. She kept the lights off and locked the door behind her, and let out a sigh.

"I still don't feel clean." She muttered. As she was quietly walking over to the closet to change she heard something and spun around. It was Ichigo, he was laying on the bed facing her.

She could feel the tension in the room mounting along with her pulse.

"Ichigo"


	7. Chapter 7

Wow you guys, thanks so much for the reviews! Please keep em coming, I've gotta know how I'm doing! Thanks David, Akum and Xxdoctorwho28fanxX! I'll keep the fast updates coming!

Chapter 7

Uncovered

Ichigo had been so hurt that Rukia had said that to him-"why would it concern you in the slightest?" ran through his mind over and over that day.

All he could do was stare at Rukia's back and imagine what it would be like to hold her close to him. To run his fingers through her hair and to touch his lips to her own.

_Why would she say that to me? She knows I care about her-didn't I prove that when I went after her? I risked my life for her_

_But all she did in return was stay…_

He was furious with himself. She had obviously been happy to see him until he had opened his mouth and messed things up again. Things had started to go back to normal between them.

Well, that wasn't quite right-things would never be normal between them. There was just no way that could happen. Not with how he felt about her-the way he would catch himself staring at her-the things he wanted to tell her.

No, they weren't normal, but he could live with that. He would have to.

He decided that after school on their way home he would have a long talk with her. He would swallow his pride and apologize to her-then ask her what the hell she was doing with that guy!

Was she insane? Did she have a death wish? He had to find out what was really going on. There was just no way that the Rukia he knew would ever go for a guy like that…

**How can you be so sure?**

_I told you to shut the hell up! I know that she wouldn't do this-it doesn't matter what you say, you can't convince me otherwise. I know her…_

**Dammit, you are so weak! I don't want her to be with him anymore than you do. She should be with me...**

_What…did you say? You want her…that will never happen. I won't let you near her-EVER!_

Class was finally over and once again, Rukia was nowhere to be seen. He took off out the main entrance, but he still couldn't find her. He waited a few minutes, but it soon became apparent she was probably avoiding him.

_Doesn't matter-I've got to talk with her_

So he started to walk around the school looking for her. When he rounded the side of the school he saw her-she was leaning against the wall with her head tilted back-he grinned.

She was upset-that was a good sign. It meant that what he said had some effect on her. That meant she had to care what he thought!

He started to lift his hand to wave at her, but what he saw next made him freeze in place.

Kariya had called out to her, and her head snapped up at his voice.

_Did he just call her Rukia? What the hell is going on?_

He move back to use the side of the building to hide himself and watched.

He watched the two of them talk for a minute, and then Kariya took her books for her. Ichigo was already getting furious. Rukia just stood there letting him…she had that stupid smile on her face-like she was egging him on!

The Ichigo felt his world collapse. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "No…Rukia no. Don't-"but she couldn't hear him

He didn't think she would stop even she had heard him. He watched in horror as Kariya leaned down and took Rukia's first kiss…it should have been his.

That should have been him. If he hadn't of screwed things up earlier by saying something stupid it could have been.

**Don't be an idiot. She doesn't love you, no matter how much you love her-she never will. She needs someone strong enough to hold her down and protect her at the same time. You can't do either Ichigo**

But, Ichigo could barely hear him-he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the couple..

_Couple, is that what they are? A coupe…I never thought Rukia would do that with anyone…but me_

That damn kiss that nearly destroyed him seemed to go on forever. It was like he was watching everything he loved be burned to ashes. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he couldn't stop her…

She wasn't his to stop. He had no kind of claim on her-they were friends that's all.

Finally, he saw Kariya stand up straight. He had a clear shot of Rukia's face. She seemed-shocked for one thing. He was hoping that she would hit him, yell at him to leave her alone.

Instead she let him take her hand and she went with him.

Ichigo watched Rukia leave him again. This time he was far more afraid for himself than he was for Rukia. What would happen to him without her?

He leaned back against the wall and slid to the ground. He put his head in his hands and tried to forget the image of Kariya kissing her…but he couldn't. It was burned into his memory

He didn't stay like that long. He decided he had to know what else was going on-so from a far distance back-he followed them

He watched them go into the coffee shop and get a booth. For a long time he sat outside, watching her. She seemed uneasy, like she wanted to bolt, but held herself back. That didn't make any sense.

He let himself fantasize that it was him sitting across from her. That he was the one that was bringing her coffee…Kariya wasn't making it the way she liked it anyway. Rukia had a sweet tooth that not too many people knew about-but he did. She liked sugar in her coffee, but no milk.

He noted with a smile that Rukia didn't like it, but then again, she drank it anyway. Did she do that just for Kariya?

Finally, Rukia had finished her homework, and the two started talking. He saw that Kariya had said something to make Rukia blush…

Anger bubbled up inside of him again and he couldn't watch anymore. It was like someone had frozen his heart and shattered it.

He wandered around for awhile. Not sure where he wanted to go. He couldn't go home-she might be there. But then again, she might not and he didn't know what would be worse.

After he realized he was exhausted he went home to seek the comfort of his own bed. He wanted to huddle down inside of it and pretend that none of this had happened.

He didn't want to use the door-his family would be downstairs and he just didn't want to deal with them at the moment.

So, he used Rukia's method and went in the window. His room was dark-she hadn't come back yet.

He lied down on his bed and put his arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling as images of Rukia and their past played over and over.

The first time they had met-hearing her call his name over and over-her smile and her laugh. The way she would look at him with those eyes of hers

They were so full of life and pain…she had been through so much. He wished that he could know more about her.

He wanted to know how she met Renji and why they were so close. About the day she became a Kuchiki, when she became a Death God. More than anything he wanted to hear what she thought about him in the past, and what she thought now. Did she still worry about him? Did she still enjoy watching him fight?

He was lost in mourning her that he didn't notice her slim form creep into the room. He thought he had imagined her sigh-he had done it enough in the past he might have.

Then he heard her say under her breath, "I still don't feel clean." And he looked over to her.

He could make out her form in the shadows. She hadn't noticed him yet, but she was his entire focus now.

All of his thoughts of anger left him and he was filled with yearning. He could smell her from here-she always used the same lavender scent. She smelled perfectly clean to him. He took a deep breath, trying not to attract attention to himself. He filled his nostrils with her scent and felt intoxicated by it.

Then he noticed something else…she was holding up a towel around herself….she was wearing a towel…there was probably nothing underneath that. Before he knew what he was doing he was sitting up to get a better look at her, he wanted to see all of her-badly. He saw her pale legs and arms, her hair was wet and damp hanging around her bare shoulders.

His mouth went dry, he started to sweat. His couldn't close his eyes even though he knew he should. In the back of his mind he heard his hollow self screaming. His skin was on fire…

"Ichigo"

He jerked involuntarily, he felt like a bolt of lightning had just struck him in his chest.

When he heard her call out his name like that it sent him reeling. He wanted to rush to her and gather her in his arms-run his hands all over her skin and bury his face in the crook of her neck. He wanted to intertwine his fingers with hers…

He didn't realize he had stood up or that he was walking towards her. She stood there, mesmerized by him.

He looked…strange. He was looking at her…the glint in his eyes made her quiver to her core. In that moment, she knew what it meant to want someone, and it terrified her.

"Ichigo..what are-" but he stopped coming closer. "You are wearing a towel."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "Oh..I just finished taking a shower. I'm sorry, let me go change."

She made to move passed him and to the closet, but he put a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her…

His hand…she could feel the calluses on it. From wielding Zangetsu. At that point, she thought his rough had on her tender skin was the best feeling she had ever experienced.

She sucked in her breath between her teeth and Ichigo misunderstood her. "I'm sorry, does it hurt much?"

She looked at him like he was crazy at first before she realized he had touched her left shoulder. It hadn't hurt her at all…

"Uh…no it's alright. Let me go change, I'm so tired I think I'll just go to bed."

"Wait!" Ichigo said, it came out a little more panicked than he had meant for it to. But she had stopped and was facing him now.

"I-I need to talk with you. Can you give me a couple minutes?"

The way he had asked her that made her blush. He was embarrassed at seeing her in a towel…that made her smile.

She nodded and went to sit on his bed. She patted the bed next to her.

He followed suit without argument and sat down. "Rukia…I"

Damn, why was this so hard? He still needed to apologize to her-he needed to make things right between them again. He gulped audibly and started again

"I want to say.." Rukia stopped him this time. She knew it had to be hard for him to say this. The fact that he wanted to was enough for her.

She touched his arm to get his attention an when he looked at her she said, "I know. You don't have to say it." And then she smiled.

That was when Ichigo knew without a doubt that they were supposed to be together. She knew him so well…she knew exactly what to say to calm him down, what to do to make him feel safe..

He wanted to do the same for her…

He put his hand to the side of her face and leaned down to her, very slowly-his breathing picked up and he saw that hers did too. She closed her eyes at his touch and leaned into his hand.

"Ichigo" he heard her whisper and he answered "Rukia"

He rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone and thought it was the softest smoothest thing he had ever touched in his life.

He couldn't stop himself now. He inched closer to her with every intention of tasting her lips…finally

He could hear his heart hammering away, his chest was going to explode-he was close enough he could feel her rushed breath on his lips, she licked her own and then

She turned her head towards his hand. Ichigo closed his eyes in silent torment and bowed his head-he felt her wet hair on his face and her warm skin underneath. With this other hand he ran his fingers through her hair and then kissed her neck.

He could feel her pulse racing beneath her firm skin…

_She wants this too, I can feel it. How can she want me…but turn me away?_

"Rukia" he whispered softly into her ear. She didn't say anything, but exposed more of her neck to him as she leaned her head farther into his other hand.

He felt wetness on his palm and then nearly came undone when she kissed it. He kissed her neck again, and was rewarded with a barely audible moan. While Rukia continued to kiss his palm and he her neck he began to rub her shoulder and exposed back with his other hand.

God this was torture…He had never been so alert in his life. Every breath she took he could feel, each time she kissed his palm it was like fire burned through him. He wanted to tear the towel off of her…he wanted to kiss her everywhere and have her do the same.

He could practically feel the same things emanating from Rukia. He nipped at her neck this time and she let out a strangled cry

"God Rukia" he murmured into her ear.

She turned her face to him-he could see that she was flushed-could feel her breasts rising and falling against his chest with her quickened breathing.

She was so beautiful…then he saw it. Her eyes. They were full of unshed tears. She was crying…

_Why would she cry? This is something I have only dreamed about-tortured myself into thinking that it could never happen, but it is happening, why would that make her sad?_

"Rukia?" he asked her. He rubbed his thumb along a fresh tear. She looked like she wanted to die.

"Oh God Ichigo…what have I done?" she said in a shaken voice.

That took him off guard. What did she mean? She regretted kissing him? Letting him touch her and kiss her in return. That's not what it felt like to Ichigo at all.

"What-" but he didn't have time to finish his sentence as she shot up off of the bed and ran to the closet, slamming the door behind her.

He thought her heard her crying…


	8. Chapter 8

Okay folks, a couple things here. First, it was brought to my attention I have been misspelling Kariya's name. It is supposed to be Kariya, not Kariya, so sorry for any confusion that may cause! And again, thanks to my reviewers! David, Akum, nana and GrizzlyBiscuit! The next thing is basically a warning; the first part of this chapter is pretty dark. This story is going to start to edge more and more in this direction-so if you are offended by any of this, I am sorry-please don't kill me!

Chapter 8

Observations

In another area of the city, far away from the safety of Ichigo's home, there was a man with white hair and red eyes. He had just finished with a young girl. She had been so high she probably wouldn't remember the things he had done to her.

After his encounter with Rukia earlier today, he had felt the strong urge to dominate. He had needed to let his frustrations out-and did so-all the while imagining those big violet eyes silently pleading him to stop.

He wanted her. He wanted her badly. He wanted to know if there was more to that innocent face than what was on the surface. She had let some of her real self slip out to him today and he found it not only surprising but intoxicating. When she had implied she could control his behavior he had hoped she would continue to let that fire shine-but she had immediately hidden it away.

Kariya wanted Rukia. He wanted to feel her under him, wanted to hear her scream in pain and pleasure. He imagined the glazed look her eyes would have while he catered to her pleasures-and how they would widen in fear when he hurt her.

He stood up and left the young girl passed out on the ground bleeding, all thoughts on the tiny transfer student. He would force Rukia to show him just how strong she was-and then he would shatter her. It would be the best game he had played in a long time…

When Rukia woke up the next morning-she realized it wasn't to an alarm. She smiled sadly to herself. He had turned it off before it could wake her. She had spent most of the night crying as quietly as she could. All she could think over and over was what had she done?

Last night, the way Ichigo had touched her had awakened something in her. She wanted Ichigo…

But, more than that-Ichigo definitely felt something for her. Now she knew, she couldn't even do anything about it. She had to put a stop to last night because…she was bound to her mission.

There was only one way to get the information she needed from Kariya in a timely manner-her. Rukia Kuchiki would have to do it, all on her own. She would have to swallow back the bile she felt rising in her throat each time he kissed her, spoke her name or touched her. And she would have to do it in front of Ichigo.

She was realizing now how hard this was going to be. Not only would she have to keep this act up around Kariya, but anyone else around including Ichigo. Especially Ichigo.

He couldn't know what she was doing-if he did not only would he be in danger, but so would the mission and in turn Soul Society.

Her family and friends there were all counting on her. Her brother…she had to do this for him.

She reaffirmed her resolve then. She had to do this for her friends here too after all. They were all in danger now-Aizen had shown special interest in Ichigo…she had to stop him from getting hurt. Since she had virtually no power now anyway this was the only way to do it.

She would continue her efforts and find out everything she needed to know from Kariya. She would keep up the ruse as long as it took, and she wouldn't tell anyone what her true objective was. She would have to make sure Ichigo had no idea of her true feelings. At any cost-she vowed to keep them all safe, nothing else mattered. Last nights tender moments would have to be enough for a lifetime because Ichigo would never forgive her for what she would do.

Ichigo hadn't gotten much sleep last night, listening to her muffled cries. Why was she so upset? She had been enjoying it, and she wanted more- at least he thought she enjoyed it.

She made no sense…he brought her breakfast and set it down on the desk. He tried not to listen to the sounds coming from the closet while he gathered up all of his things for school. But, he couldn't mistake the sound of the door slowly sliding open.

He looked up, eager to see her reaction to him today, and felt like he had just gotten hit in the stomach.

She was beautiful, except, she looked so sad. She was wearing her school uniform and had all of her things ready to go. She wouldn't look at him.

"I brought you breakfast." He managed to say.

She looked up at him and blinked-had she thought he wouldn't after last night?

"Thank you Ichigo, I just don't feel much like eating right now." And then she went to the window and dropped down.

Ichigo's first impulse was to yell at her. Had last night made her so sick? Had it meant so little to her?

He went to the window to watch her and saw her round the corner-she stopped and leaned up against a fence. She was waiting for him…

"I thought so." He said to no one in particular as he rushed out to catch up with her.

Once he got to her side she started walking again. He tried to watch her without being obvious-but apparently she caught on.

"Ichigo, last night never happened." Was all she said. It wasn't so much as what she said, but how she said it that made Ichigo want to wring her neck.

"What?" he stopped.

"I said, last night never happened. I just wanted to clear that up before we got to school. It never happened, got it?" she said, back to her demanding self.

"Are you an idiot? Of course it happened, you can't just erase that!" he tried.

"I don't think you understand at all Ichigo. If it happened, that means I can't stay at your home anymore. I won't be able to be around you anymore-another Death God will take over the duties here and I will leave." She hoped to God that this threat worked. If it didn't, things might get even worse.

"Rukia…how could you think I could forget that?" he asked her, afraid to look in her eyes.

"You have to Ichigo. If you don't…it will make things much harder for us both. Just…try and forget alright? Don't think about it-just don't. If we can go on this way then at least our friendship can remain intact."

Ichigo was floored. She was threatening him. If he didn't play along to her demands she would just leave. That pissed him off-trying to control him…what pissed him off more was that he would do it just to keep her in his life. He knew that not having her at all would be worse than this…

"Fine. It won't be a problem." He said with a scowl on his face and started walking again.

Once they got to school it was obvious to everyone that Ichigo was pissed off. Rukia however, appeared to be in an overwhelmingly good mood. She had something to say to everyone.

Especially when they asked about Kariya

"Oh, he was just being nice to me!" "No he didn't do anything like that at all. He was the perfect gentleman!"

_Perfect gentleman my ass-I heard him call your first name Rukia. I saw him kiss you on the day he met you…_

**Of course he did-you wanted to.**

_That was different…_

**Only because you were afraid and he wasn't.**

_Well we saw what having no fear did. She wants me to forget…it's not possible. She's an idiot for asking._

**I'm not arguing about that point. What I am saying Ichigo is that you had better keep that bastard away from her. If you don't then I will..**

He went stiff. His hollow self wanted Rukia as well, and he was much more dangerous than Kariya. His tension wasn't lost on Rukia.

She turned around to him and asked him, "Ichigo, are you alright?" she looked worried.

"I'm fine." He said, trying to sound angry. It worked as she 'accidentally' smacked him and sat down.

The rest of that day was mostly spent in a daze. Rukia even ate lunch with him instead of Inoue. Not that she didn't take the food Inoue had offered her to eat. All of the guys on the roof were disgusted that she ate it.

"Kuchiki, are you sure that you should eat that? Didn't Inoue make it?" Chad had asked her. Ichigo had to admit, he had never seen his eyes so large before.

"Who would have thought that bean paste and nori would go so well together anyway?" she asked him with a grin.

He really didn't get her at all. He could tell that she hated it, even though no one else could. She was just being nice to Inoue-and enjoying freaking people out.

He laughed at her and she hit him. "What would you know about it anyway Ichigo? You are too afraid to even try it!" she had taunted him.

"Then let me try it" he retorted. That shut her up.

She held out a piece to him and her eyes never left his face as he took it and popped it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. Suddenly Rukia developed a twitch in her left eye.

Ichigo grinned at her. Then she started laughing while all the others stared at them like they were insane. Maybe they were, but they didn't care in the slightest.

Lunch was good that day-even though Rukia kept catching him trying to rinse the bean-seaweed taste out of his mouth. Finally, she took pity on him and tossed a mint to him.

"I knew it! You don't really like it!" he had announced rather loudly in the hallway outside of the classroom.

She answered with, "Why whatever would make you say that Ichigo?" in that horribly sweet voice that was not in any way Rukia-like.

"Why would you have one of these if you liked how that tasted?" he asked with a shudder and proceeded to suck on the mint with as much force as possible.

She leaned in to him and said with a straight face, "Maybe I thought you needed it."

Then she proceeded to prance into the classroom, leaving Ichigo to be laughed at by Keigo and Muzuiro.

"What a bitch" he muttered as he tried to control his blush.

The rest of the day was uneventful, except for the death glares that he and Rukia exchanged. He felt much better than he had this morning.

_So what if I have to pretend that last night didn't happen? I can handle this…_

At least that was what he thought until he saw Rukia with Kariya again after school.

"I thought I could go with you to study again Rukia." Kariya was saying.

"Um…I'm not so sure if that's a good idea"

"What do you mean? We had a good time yesterday, right?"

"Kariya-" "Call me Jin, Rukia, it's always Jin for you."

"Alright, Jin-I'm not so sure we should do that again. I mean I got a little angry with you and"

Kariya took her hand in his "Rukia, don't apologize. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I promise that I won't do it again."

Rukia looked like she still wasn't sure, she didn't want him to think that she was overly interested yet.

"How about we go out tonight and really get to know each other. There is a movie I'd love to take you to."

She pretended to think it over for a minute and then answered, "Okay, but we'll have to meet there later. I need to go home and finish my homework first."

"Alright, let's meet at six, you'll be home by nine."

"Sure, that sounds fine. I'll see you there." Rukia made to turn and leave, but he grabbed her and kissed her again.

"Just one to tide me over, see you there Rukia." And Kariya left her standing there.

Rukia thought she might kill him if he hadn't left. She had spent a lot of time in the shower last night and was afraid she was going to have to do the same tonight.

"Great Kariya, now we can start to get to know each other, like you said."

Rukia went to Ichigo's house without knowing Ichigo had overheard every word of their conversation.


	9. Chapter 9

Some people told me they weren't able to read this chapter and I have no idea why. So I deleted it and re-added, hoping that fixes the problem!

Chapter 9

Going Somewhere

When Rukia got back, Ichigo wasn't home yet. "Perfect" she said aloud. She did go ahead and do her homework, it didn't take much time.

Then she pulled out the one dress she had. Ishida had made it for her before she left Soul Society.

If this continues, I'm going to have to have Ishida make me more of these…dresses.

She was about to leave when Ichigo suddenly opened the door to his room. He was already angry-Rukia was going on an actual date with Kariya.

_After everything that had happened last night-she was going with Kariya. Maybe this is some sort of test? To see how I will react?_

He was proven wrong when he realized Rukia was trying to do this without him knowing. What would be the point in doing that if she wanted to see his reaction?

Rukia had even put on something nice to wear…for him

**Don't let her leave, she's going to him**

_I don't intend to let her_

"Going somewhere Rukia?"

Rukia faced him and let him see her anger, "Yes in fact I am."

"With who?" Ichigo was being deceptively calm. Rukia had no idea how much he knew.

"How is that your business?" she said, trying to sound angry-not hopeful.

"Dammit Rukia, just answer me-who the hell are you going with, and why is it so important to hide it from me?"

Rukia let him see her exasperation. She didn't want to tell him for many reasons, the main one being that if he knew what she was really doing…he'd want her to stop, he'd be in more danger and could end up blowing her assignment all together.

But, when she looked at Ichigo, she knew she couldn't lie to him. "I'm going with Kariya Jin Ichigo. He asked me to go to the movies with him."

"And you are actually going to go? Rukia, he is dangerous! I know that you know that, so why would you want to spend time around him?"

He looked worried, Rukia thought. She decided to try and calm his fears as best she could.

"Ichigo, don't insult me. I can handle myself around him-so don't worry."

He glared at her. "So you agree he's dangerous, but you still won't answer why you want to be around him?"

_God…please don't say that you actually want to be with him. Just don't say it…if she doesn't say those words then everything will be fine…_

"The reason I want to be around him doesn't matter. Just know that I'll be perfectly safe doing whatever it is I will be doing."

She jumped out of the window with ease and didn't turn back. Ichigo slumped onto his bed.

"She didn't say she wanted to be with him…she didn't say it." He knew it wasn't anything huge. As long as she didn't come out and say she would rather be with Kariya than him he could still pretend. He could still hope.

He would never give up hope, not where Rukia was concerned.

Rukia didn't feel terribly guilty over her explanation-or lack thereof. Anyway, he was the one who had announced to the entire class this morning that she was the last person he wanted to be with. So, she continued on her way to the movie theater, with the intention of making some serious progress.

When she got there, Kariya was waiting. He already bought their tickets to some action film. He hadn't even asked her what she'd like, but it didn't bother her. She wasn't here to watch a movie, she was here to observe Kariya.

He was strangely almost sickeningly polite to her. He bought her refreshments and anything else he thought she might enjoy. Made sure that no one sat in front of her, since she was so short, he explained with a grin.

In the actual theater, Rukia discovered it was hard to make any judgments about Kariya. It was extremely dark, and she dared not use any reitsu for fear that someone might pick it up. It wasn't a bad movie…though some of it was rather hard to believe. All in all she thought that the 'hero' of the movie was overly incompetent in his fighting skills. He blocked when he should lunge, he was full of openings and there didn't seem to be any strength at all behind his attacks.

As she methodically catalogued the faults of the film away, she noticed out of the corner of her eye a flicker of movement. Kariya's arm was coming to her-correction- around her. He had his arm around her and pulled her towards him..

She panicked. _What am I supposed to do? Should I let him do this…would that be what the other girls would do? Not exactly_, she answered herself. _They would probably feign shyness and giggle at him._

She suppressed an unladylike snort and decided she would take matters into her own hands. Kariya seemed to enjoy a challenge-she could give him that.

She elbowed him as hard as she could in his side, and he grunted. She felt his grip on her shoulder tighten painfully, so she answered it with a bright smile and lifted one finger up to him and slowly shook it back and forth in his face.

He looked shocked, but she did catch a glimmer of a smile before he retracted his limb.

Rukia had no idea how tempting she seemed to Kariya at that moment. He had used his charm on her all evening, and just when he thought he had pretty much won her over-at least for the night-she hit him.

She would be one magnificent trophy once he had her. The fire in those deep violet eyes made him shiver in anticipation. He couldn't wait to watch it go out…

Once the movie was over and they left the building, Kariya had begged her for a quick walk. She hadn't seen any harm in it, so Rukia agreed. It would only give her more time to work on him.

Most of the walk was spent in silence. They made their way to a small park, it had a few swings that they sat on. Rukia wasn't exactly sure what would normally happen in this situation. She was more than anything trying to find a way to keep him intrigued in her enough that he wouldn't lose interest. She had to find a way in, she had to.

She rubbed her shoulder absentmindedly and noticed how tender it was, almost like a burn. _That is going to leave a mark…bastard._

Without any warning, Kariya leaned over her and kissed her-again. Rukia acting on instinct quickly backed away from him

"Kariya, you can't just-"

"I can't what Rukia? Kiss you? I wanted to kiss you so I did. I do what I want, and no one can stop me. And for the last time, it's Jin for you."

Rukia deciding to try and avoid any further confrontations that would leave visible damage decided to reply "Why is it so important that I call you Jin?"

He hadn't expected that. She looked like she suspected something-Rukia was definitely not your average high school girl.

"Why can't I kiss you, or more importantly, why don't you kiss me back?"

"Hmm, let's see, I barely know you. That's a good reason for both, don't you think?"

"No, I don't think so. In fact, I think it's a very poor reason. You'll have to do better than that with me Rukia."

The way he said her name-it was like he was talking about her as if she was his possession. Like he was half scolding her for forgetting she was his.

"What do you mean by that?"

His face twisted into a smile so full of desire Rukia felt panic start to rise, nearly choking her.

_Come on Rukia-remember what is at stake here! Play his little game with him, it's what he wants. Nothing else matters except getting this information, just do what you have to do to get it._

"I mean, you'll have to come up with a better reason for not kissing me."

She wasn't panicking, she was terrified. Something about this man was not…human. Something was evil inside of him and it was toying with her.

Trying to hide her terror, she answered in a light, sweet tone, "Maybe you should have to give me a reason to kiss you…Kariya."

In what seemed like an instant he was face to face with her.

"Fine. What about an exchange of sorts? I'm sure you've noticed that I've taken an interest in you Rukia. You are a mystery that I intend to unravel. I will find out what's inside of you, what you hope for and what occupies your thoughts. I'll do it, just because I want to, and I will get what I want in the end Rukia, you can be sure of that."

_That doesn't sound good. What the hell is he planning on doing? Well, only one way to find out._

"And if I agree to your exchange, what do I get in return for a simple kiss?"

"I suppose that you'll have to wait and see won't you? I can promise that it is something that you wanted to know Rukia, and it is the only way you'll ever find out."

She forced a laugh. "Kariya, are you actually trying to bribe me for a kiss?"

He nodded, she blanched.

_What if it's something I really need to know? Can I take this risk?_

"I'm not so sure this-"

"You disappoint me Rukia. I thought that you would be up to the challenge. Don't tell me you are afraid of something so insignificant as one kiss. If you can't even do that…"

She straightened, "Afraid? Why would I be afraid of a kiss with you? We've already done that."

"Oh no we haven't Rukia. This would be much more than anything you've experienced so far."

_Damn, he's really pressing this. Well, what would it harm anyway? It's just a kiss. I have to do anything I can to get this information, and fast._

"Fine, but if I don't get what I want to know out of this"

"Oh you will Rukia, you certainly will."

He leaned down to her and pulled her forward to him and then pressed her back against the pole of the swings.

He tilted her head up to him and said, "Look at me Rukia, and say my name."

She looked up into his eyes-they were red, like blood. They reminded her of past injuries, of seeing comrades fall…

"Jin" she heard herself say.

Then she felt him press his lips against hers and force her chin down. His tongue plundered her mouth-seeming to search for something.

She wanted to push him away, and scream at him to stop. But, her body didn't seem to move on it's own.

She felt his hands holding her arms down at her sides and pain shot up them. This was not something she was expecting. She felt tears start to prick her eyes and knew she had to get away from him before he realized how revolted she was.

No matter how hard she fought, he just pressed her back harder and his grip got tighter. He moved closer to her, pressing his body against hers.

She wanted to run, she had to get away from him. The way he held her made her realize how completely weak she was in this body and she started to give up.

Then one face came into view. Ichigo-what would he think if he saw them like this? Would he laugh at he folly, her weakness? Would he try and help her to get away from him? Would he be angry with her?

Would he feel betrayed?

_Oh God…I have betrayed him! I know he has feelings for me…even though I can't acknowledge them-I can't be doing this! I can't do this and have these feelings for him.._

Rukia became desperate to get out of his hold and realizing the vulnerable position Kariya was in, lifted up her knee with as much force as she could muster. She felt it connect and Kariya went completely still-and then he crashed down onto the ground.

Rukia took off as fast as she could into the trees surrounding the park. Her heart was pounding and her breathing was labored.

_I can't go through with this mission. There is just no way that I can do this. I can't keep up this act..I have to tell them I can't do it. There has to be another way._

While Rukia fled the scene a very angry Kariya Jin tried to take control of his pain. No woman had ever injured him-or refused him for that matter. In one night Kuchiki Rukia had done both.

But that didn't matter. He wanted her, and he always got what he wanted in the end. Besides, she had done what he asked, and that was the first step to becoming his. Rukia would find that out soon enough. Then she would pay for everything she had done to him


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, so thanks again to all my reviewers! I'm updating as fast as I can because of you! Also, some people weren't able to view ch.9, so I reposted it hoping that fixed it. If you still can't, let me know and I'll try to figure something out!

Chapter 10

Running Away

Rukia had never run so fast in her life. She made it back to Ichigo's house in record time and scurried in through the window. As soon as she was in, she collapsed on the floor.

This time Ichigo was at his desk with one arm propping up his head and the other taking notes.

He didn't turn around at first, and she was thankful for that. She managed to conceal her frantic breathing well enough he didn't seem to notice.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked her. He seemed so far away when he said that.

Rukia took a deep breath and decided to try and avoid that whole topic as much as possible, "Sure, it was fine..is your family home?"

"Karin and Yuzu are at a friend's, Dad's out-won't be back for a few days apparently."

"Oh" she paused, wanting to go to him so badly. She took a step towards him and then remembered Kariya's hands on her arms, his lips on her own and she suddenly had an overwhelming desire to take a long, scalding hot shower.

"Well then, I think I'll go take a shower!" she said as she raced out of his room. Once in the safety of the bathroom, she pulled out her cell and sent a message to Captain Hitsugaya. She would be expecting a visitor in the next few days.

Ichigo had been daydreaming again. He had been letting his mind wander over the possibilities of what could have been.

If he had just told Rukia that he wanted her to come with him before. If he had only let her know that he wanted her with him, things might be different.

She would be going to a movie with him. She would be wearing something nice for him. He could finally tell Keigo to leave her the hell alone because she was his girlfriend. He wouldn't have to feel guilty about watching her sleep, or always wanting to know exactly where she was or what she was doing.

Right…like they could ever be together. Even if, by some miracle, Rukia did have feelings for him, there was no way. A Death God and a human? First, there was just no way that her brother would allow it. Second, if he did approve of it, the laws of Soul Society wouldn't, and that was just as bad. He couldn't ask Rukia to give all that up, it was her life.

He brought himself back to reality at remembering the problem at hand. Rukia was dating Kariya. How the hell could she do that? The guy was a total jerk, he was rude to women and he was dangerous. How could Rukia even stand to speak with him?

His memory went back to when Kariya had walked in and told the class Rukia would be late as she was still with the nurse. He had looked so cocky, like he had just won something.

Rukia couldn't be won. So what if the guy had a way with women. No way would Rukia ever fall for that. She'd see through it without any problem-he was sure of that.

So the same question came to mind again. He had been wondering about this for some time, and he could not figure it out.

If Rukia could see through what Kariya was doing…then why would she allow it? The possibilities he could imagine made him furious, those he couldn't made him frightened. He hated being frightened. Most of the time when he was around Rukia, he had a sense of ease that he hadn't felt since his mother had died.

She seemed to be able to calm him with just her presence. She could look at him and suddenly nothing else mattered but that look she gave him. The one where they shared some sort of secret, but neither truly knew what it was.

_This is ridiculous. What the hell is wrong with me?_

**Good question Ichigo. What's stopping you from going in there with her and staking your claim on her?**

_What the hell? Rukia and I are just friends, she made that abundantly clear today, if you weren't paying attention. She doesn't want to remember anything that happened between us, and wants me to forget as well._

**But you can't forget Ichigo-and neither can I. She was so soft and warm…**

_Just shut the hell up already!_

**Oh, does it bother you to remember? Then let me ask you this, would it bother you if she did that with someone else?**

Ichigo couldn't think anymore. Visions of Kariya with his hands on her relentlessly filled his vision. Kariya kissing her neck…his arms around her waist

He pounded his fist on his desk and got up to leave. He didn't know where he would go, but he had to leave. This was ridiculous, Rukia would never let someone do that to her…right?

**She almost let you do whatever you wanted to her Ichigo, and she claims she doesn't even like you. What do you think she would let someone she does like do to her?**

Ichigo stormed out of his room and slammed his door shut. He was so angry…but he didn't know at what. He was the one that didn't tell Rukia how he really felt. He had thought Rukia might have some feelings for him, but she had graciously cleared that up for him this morning.

She wished it had never happened-made it clear that if he couldn't play along like it had never happened that she would leave.

He went downstairs with the intention of leaving. His hand was on the knob before he realized it was late and that Rukia would have no idea where he was. So instead, he paced. He paced through the kitchen and living room. He wanted to hit something, really hard. He pictured his fist on Kariya's face. It had a strange effect on him. He realized he was insanely jealous and didn't want Rukia with anyone but himself. If she wouldn't be with him, then she could at least pick someone that wasn't dangerous like Kariya was.

Ichigo made his way back upstairs and into his room. There was nowhere he could go to escape feeling like this and he wanted the comfort of his own bed. He crawled into it and pulled the covers up over himself and waited for Rukia to finish with her shower so he could try and talk her out of dating Kariya.

He was in for a long wait.

Rukia was viciously scrubbing at her skin. The water was once again, scalding her once pale flesh. The heat of the water in combination with her strokes turned it to a bright red color. It burned her, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be clean.

She could still feel him on her, fingers digging into her arms and his chest against hers. She shuddered and kept scrubbing. If she just kept at it long enough she was sure she could get him off of her.

When Rukia realized that no amount of scrubbing could erase what had happened, she finally stopped. She stepped out of the shower and began to towel herself off when something caught her eye in the mirror. It was her shoulder-where he had gripped it so tightly in the movie earlier.

It hadn't been that long ago and yet here she was staring at a peculiar bruising. It had the general shape of his hand, you could tell they were fingerprints at least. It was a dark purple and then reddened along the outside. Although that wasn't what really worried her. Her skin was raised and it looked like it was-blistered?

Had he actually burned her with his hand?

She moved a tentative finger over the injury and noted that it was blistered-and very painful.

_No wonder it hurt so much in the shower…I'd better let someone have a look at this and see if they can tell me what he could have done to cause it._

Not seeing anything else to really worry about, she changed into her pajamas and made her way into Ichigo's room.

"Hey" she said as she came in. "Sorry if I kept you up"

He looked at her blankly, "No, not at all."

She nodded and turned to the closet, "Good, I think I'm going to go ahead and go to sleep. Goodnight Ichigo."

Rukia wanted to climb into her sanctuary where she knew she was safe. She wanted to hide there until she felt no more shame over what she had done.

"Rukia wait-I need to talk to you about something, it's important."

She stopped and before she turned around a sense of dread came over her. He was going to ask her about tonight…

"What is it?"

He got up and walked over to her. "Rukia, I need to know something, and I hope that you will be honest with me." He paused as if searching for the right words.

Rukia knew he was having a hard time of it, and decided to take pity on him. "Oh Ichigo just say it already, I'm tired and I want to get some sleep."

"Fine!" he yelled back, "I just wanted to say, I know you aren't stupid enough to fall for Kariya's usual antics, and I know he's been pulling them on you. But…you don't even try to stop him! Do you really care for him that much?"

His face showed his dread, he hadn't meant to say that. Rukia heard the real question he had asked-'Do you really care for me so little?"

Ichigo was panicking-he really hadn't meant to say it. He sounded so pathetic to himself. He was berating himself for even bringing up the topic when he saw her eyes.

They were full of so much tenderness for him he wanted to hold her to him and never let her go. He knew that she understood now. The question was, would that change anything?

"No Ichigo, I'm not stupid. Now, my reasons for allowing this to happen are my own, and I will not reveal them to you simply because you want me to."

She was trying to calm him down but this only seemed to make him more upset.

He took a few steps back away from her as if she had just hit him. He dropped down onto the bed behind him and ran a hand through his hair and proceeded to stare at the floor as he said "Don't tell me you want him to…please don't tell me that."

Ah, so that was it. He was afraid that she had feelings for Kariya, not that she didn't have feelings for him. She had misunderstood that.

"Why? Would it matter to you if I did?" she challenged him.

"Yes" he was so quiet she had to strain to hear him.

Rukia hadn't expected to hear him say that. The way he sat there on his bed-he looked so forlorn, like his world was crashing down around him. She knew she should just leave it at that. She should just go to bed or say that she did like Kariya.

But she couldn't do that. No matter how she tried to force herself to say it, she couldn't tell Ichigo she had feelings for someone else. Besides, he would probably know she was lying…he always did.

She felt herself walk up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. Ichigo immediately covered it with his own and held it there. She gently rubbed his shoulder as she answered him.

"No Ichigo, it wouldn't matter-it can't matter-remember? It doesn't matter what I feel for Kariya."

He looked back up to her and she saw such pain there. All she wanted to do was caress his face and tell him that everything was going to be fine and make sure he felt no more pain. She nearly did, but stopped her hand midway.

"Why are you doing this Rukia?"

"I'm doing it because I have to Ichigo."

She squeezed his shoulder and then moved away from him and went to her closet. She was already in her bed nearly asleep when she heard him answer.

"I didn't want you to stop."

She smiled and let a tear fall down. She hadn't wanted to stop either.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry to say everyone, but I'm going to be out of town for the next few days and unable to update  So, here are the next TWO, count em two chapters! Thanks again to Akum, David123 (glad you got an account!), RedBloodedTalisman, Lupe-brodrax, Fish Pankakes and notquitenewhere for your reviews!

Chapter 11

Visitations

The next day Ichigo woke up and felt like he hadn't slept at all. Actually, he really hadn't. He kept having nightmares about his mother's death. If that wasn't bad enough, Rukia was in them as well now.

He had this vision of his mother dying burned into his memory, but the one of Rukia was even worse. He saw her running to him-her face a mask of fear-she was crying out to him and then he saw why. There was a hollow coming for him and he didn't have time to react. Then Rukia was there, shoving him out of the way and taking the hollows attack.

She lay there on the ground, bleeding to death and all he could do was watch.

It hadn't been a good night to say the least. But, at least that was over, and he would make sure that he never saw Rukia in that position anyway.

He had finished his breakfast and brought Rukia hers. He opened his room door to see her turned partially away from him. She was looking at something…

"Morning" he said, trying to figure out what she was looking at. She nearly jumped and pulled her shirt back up over her shoulder.

"Ichigo-you startled me." She said, redoing her top button.

"Yeah, I noticed that. What's wrong with your shoulder?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Is that for me?" she asked holding out a hand for her toast.

He gave it to her and shook his head. "Yeah, who the hell else would I be bringing this for?"

Instead of answering him she rolled her eyes and picked up her books. "See you in a minute" and jumped out his window.

Most of the walk to school was again in silence, but the closer they got to school the more tense Rukia became. She could practically feel Kariya there waiting for her.

When she did see him outside of the building she acted like she didn't notice him at all. She hurried her way into their classroom and took her seat. She didn't even notice when Inoue greeted her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?"

"Damn Rukia, you are totally spacing out here, what's wrong? Are you feeling alright? Is it your shoulder?"

"I'm fine Ichigo, don't be ridiculous."

"Oh really? Then why do you keep rubbing it? Did you hurt it or something? We could have my dad take a look at it."

"I said I'm fine Ichigo, just leave me the hell alone."

_Wow, that came out harsh. I guess it's just that I hope I don't have to keep this act up with Kariya…I don't think that I can do it. I hope I don't have to interact with him before I tell Hitsugaya I won't do this anymore._

Ichigo seeing that Rukia was really upset about something realized he should back off. She obviously didn't want to tell him anything about it-at least not yet. He'd let her come to him, she would eventually-he hoped.

"Ichigoooo!" came Keigo's voice from across the room.

"Why did you let Kuchiki go out with Kariya? You knew what I was planning!" he shouted.

That caught Rukia's attention and she lifted a brow at him. He blushed back, frantically trying to shut Keigo up

"I don't control who she sees! If you wanted to ask her out you should have done it!"

"I was working up to it! Then I hear she's already Kariya's girlfriend and now I have no chance."

"You were going to ask me out Keigo?"

"Yes I was Kuchiki, but now you are taken! I had no chance!"

"And you knew he was going to ask me out Ichigo?"

"Uh…yeah?" he answered carefully.

"I see. Well Keigo, I'm very sorry, but just as soon as Kariya and I are finished you make sure to ask me okay?"

"WHAT?" came Ichigo's thundering voice.

Keigo was grinning ear to ear "She told me to ask her out when she's available Ichigo!"

"I heard her…"

"You don't have a problem with that, do you Ichigo?"

"Well-no of course not-I just"

Rukia cut him off easily with "Then it's settled isn't it?" and she sat down with her back to him.

The day dragged on with Rukia ignoring him coldly until lunch. She had agreed to eat with them that day and they were waiting for her on the roof as usual.

"I can't believe Kuchiki would agree to Kariya. It is very unlike her, isn't it Ichigo?"

Ishida was asking him. Apparently news spread fast…

"Yeah it is."

"You don't like the fact that she's with him then?"

"No." "Then why don't you do something about it?"

Ichigo looked over the roof to where Inoue was. Rukia had said she had to go and get her 'surprise' from her and that she would be right back. She wasn't there, so he started scanning the courtyard for her.

"What would you like me to do?"

"Well-couldn't you just tell her Kurosaki?"

He didn't answer him.

When Ichigo did see her, his hands involuntarily gripped the railing much tighter. She was there with Kariya again. He wanted to go down there and drag her away, but that would do no good. She would just go back to him again.

When he looked closer, it appeared like they were fighting. She was shaking her head and he was leaning down closer to her face. No one else was really around them. She took a step back and he took one closer to her.

"What the hell's the matter with you?"

Ichigo didn't turn around, but recognized the voice. He nodded towards the direction Rukia and Kariya were in.

Renji walked up to where he was standing and looked. "Who is that she's with?"

"His name is Kariya Jin. She's been spending a lot of time with him lately."

"Oh, so that's the mark."

Ichigo snapped his attention away from Rukia to Renji. "What did you say?"

Renji catching on quickly smirked at him. "She didn't tell you?"

"What the hell do you mean Renji?"

"Sorry Ichigo, it's not for me to tell you. Anyway, I'm supposed to meet with her today, we need to catch up on some things."

They both turned their attention back to Rukia and Kariya. Rukia took another step away from Kariya and he grabbed her shoulder. Rukia cringed noticeably and faltered. Ichigo nearly jumped over the railing when he saw it, but was stopped by Renji and Ishida both.

"Let her handle it Ichigo, she can take care of herself."

Ichigo's eyes never left the scene unfolding before him. Rukia regained her footing and jerked out of his grasp. He heard her yell at him "Don't you ever grab me like I'm your property again!"

Then she turned and walked away from him. He let out a breath and realized he was a little light headed from holding it in.

"See? I told ya, she's just fine."

A few minutes later of Ichigo trying to regain his calm, Rukia came up, all smiles. She immediately noticed Renji there and smiled brightly at seeing him.

"Renji! I didn't think it would be so soon!"

She looked extremely relieved. Ichigo kept his mouth shut about what he had seen. Rukia would only get pissed if he asked her what had happened, especially in front of other people.

"Yeah, I kinda got the message it was urgent, so here I am."

"Great! Let's go!" she said, taking his hand and dragging him off with her. She waved back to the others and said "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"What the hell?" Ichigo muttered to himself.

As soon as they were around the corner he got up and followed them. They went to a secluded area in the trees. Ichigo got as close as he dared without being noticed. He could clearly hear their conversation.

"Renji, I've got some information on him yes-but"

"Excellent, what did you find out?"

"Well, his description was fairly accurate. Except his eyes…they are red not brown."

So they were talking about Kariya?

"He's physically strong and he does have some spiritual energy that I can sense at times. It seems to peak with his emotions."

"What sort of powers does he have?"

"That I'm not so sure of. He seems to have some sort of persuasion, it has something to do with his eyes, I'm sure of that. Oh, and he did this last night-"

Ichigo heard some shuffling and then Renji "Holy shit, what the hell is that?"

"I have no idea, but it hurts like hell. I think it's a burn of some kind-he did it just by touching me. I didn't even feel any sort of attack-just pressure. Anyway, this showed up a few hours later."

There were a few moments of silence when Renji came back with "You had better get that checked on Rukia-as soon as you can. Is there anything else?"

Ichigo heard Rukia sigh "Yes, I want to stop this. I don't think that I can keep this up anymore."

"Rukia…you can't just stop now. You have to keep going! You are not one to just back down from a mission."

"I know but…"

"Your brother is awake now-he's recovering well enough. When I told him what you were doing he said that you would be able to get vengeance for the Kuchiki family, and that he expected no less of you."

"He… said that about me?"

"Yes he did. That's why…you can't stop now. You have to find out what is going on Rukia. You are the only one who can."

"I know…it's just harder than I thought it would be."

"Yeah I know. Let's get you to Urahara and get him to look at that burn. Maybe he'll know something."

"Alright, we'd better hurry though."

Ichigo heard them leave and slumped down.

_Okay, I know they were talking about Kariya, and Renji said something about him being Rukia's mark…she was talking like she was reporting back on him. She was reporting on him? That means that Kariya is the mission Rukia was sent back here for? She isn't dating him! Oh my God-I'm such an idiot! I knew she wouldn't really be interested in a guy like him. She was sent back here to investigate this guy…_

Then he remembered her taking a rather long shower after getting home from seeing him. He flashed back on this morning and what she had been looking at. Her shoulder-the same place Kariya had grabbed her. She had said it hurt like hell. Kariya had hurt her…

**I'll kill him**

_No, I will-at least beat the shit out of him…_

He began his walk back to class as he went through all the information he had just gotten. Rukia didn't have feelings for Kariya-she was sent here on a mission to investigate him. _What better way to do that than to pose as his girlfriend?_

She also hated doing it and wanted to stop.

For the first time in years, Ichigo came into the classroom smiling.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Rukia and Renji entered into Urahara's shop and were greeted by the quarreling children. Jinta proceeded to chase Ururu around the shop with his broom screaming about her having to clean this time.

"Hey Urahara, get your lazy ass out here, we need to talk with you."

When he finally emerged from the back he smiled in greeting to them both, "What can I help you with today?"

"We have information and were hoping you could help us out."

"Sure, come on into the back."

Rukia relayed the same information she had told Renji about Kariya, she told him about the way his red eyes flashed and she seemed to lose control of herself momentarily. How it had been important for her to use his first name for some reason and the burn on her shoulder.

"Let me have a look at that."

After she showed him he only said, "Interesting."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean Urahara? We came to you for answers, so please enlighten us."

After a pause he answered, "This seems familiar to me, but I can't remember why. All I can say is try not to aggravate that burn and keep it bandaged. I'll see what I can find out for you."

Rukia bowed her head and turned to leave quickly, "I've got to get back to class, Ichigo will wonder where I am."

"Tch Rukia-you can spend one day away from him ya know." Renji taunted her. She smiled back at him sadly, "No, I can't-you know that Renji" and she left.

After she was gone Renji turned back to Urahara, "Is it that bad?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I think so. You'd better report this back to Soul Society."

"Yeah, I'll go now." And Renji made to leave but before he did he said "If something happens or you find something out-you make sure you tell me. I don't trust Ichigo to take care of her."

"I think you had better get used to that idea."

"Heh" and he left to report back to Hitsugaya.

When Rukia made her grand entrance into the classroom the professor immediately asked for her excuse in returning so late to class.

"Uh…I'm..sick?" and she made a weak attempt at a cough. "I'm so sorry for coming back so late." And before she could protest further she took her seat.

Ichigo had immediately perked up at seeing her come in and noticed that she didn't seem herself. After all that was a pretty weak excuse. However much he hated to admit it, everyone else fell for her acting. He poked her in the side to get her attention.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked in a whisper. "Yeah-I'll be alright." She answered.

Rukia spent the rest of the day replaying everything that had happened. Ichigo had apparently been trying to pawn her off on one of his friends…fantastic. Just when she thought she had everything figured out something like this happened. So, maybe she was wrong about how Ichigo felt towards her? Maybe she was misinterpreting everything? Or, maybe it was that Ichigo was just trying to keep her away from Kariya, like any good friend would.

"Dammit" she muttered

That's probably what he was doing. He was thinking that he could protect her from Kariya if she was with him or even Keigo. What an idiot he was, and what a fool she had been. Ichigo didn't really have true feelings for her beyond friendship.

Now however, she had other problems. After last night with Kariya he had been pretty angry. Today at lunch he had cornered her and drug her off to have a little chat with her.

"Rukia, I think that after last night, we need to have a little talk, don't you? We can use the same park as last night since it's such a memorable spot now."

Rukia stepped back from him and shook her head, "No, I don't think so Kariya."

"Oh we're back to Kariya again are we? Rukia when will you learn? I always get what I want, and right now what I want is to meet you today after school."

He took another step towards her. She decided she should play this out as the innocent girl to avoid any kind of a huge fight here. She didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

She put on a smile and answered, "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Maybe we can do it some other time? I've got a lot of homework to do this weekend."

Kariya moved closer to her face again and Rukia backed away from him again.

"Rukia, I know you want to come, why do you act like you don't?"

She tried to move away from him as she answered, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

This time he stopped her by grabbing her shoulder-right where he had last night-and squeezed-"Don't lie to me Rukia! You will come, I know you will…"

She had stopped as soon as he touched it, there was a horrible burning sensation there, and she felt like she was going to pass out. Suddenly there was this pain all through her body and all she could seem to think about was going to meet him after school…

_That's it! I've had enough of this bastard and his damn ego…_

She managed to regain her footing and jerked away from him with all of her strength.  
"Don't you ever grab me like I'm your property again!"

Then she left him standing there. As soon as she had entered the school again she leaned against a wall and grabbed her shoulder.

_Damn, what is this thing? I know he did something to me…but this is worse than being stabbed! _

She pulled herself together and went to the roof, completely forgetting her lunch from Inoue.

When she got there and saw Renji she had been so relieved. She had really thought she could get out of this damn mission.

Unfortunately she had been extremely wrong. Renji had reminded her that she had to do this, they were all counting on her. Then there was her brother. He expected her to pull this off, said he knew she could do it for the Kuchiki family.

_Well, at least I know I haven't lost Kariya's interest. If anything what I did last night made him even more intrigued. _

After her meeting with Urahara she had started to become a little bit more concerned about the burn on her arm. If it wasn't her imagination…it was getting bigger-and more painful. It was actually throbbing now.

She let out a long sigh and dropped her head, she would have to meet Kariya after school again today. She had to continue her mission. Reflecting back on it now, she couldn't believe that she had really thought she could get out of it.

Once school was finished, she ran straight for the door. She didn't want to piss Kariya off anymore than she already had and thought being late would be a good way to do it.

She was almost out the main entrance when another, smaller hand stopped her.

"Kuchiki, where are you running off to in such a hurry?"

"Tatsuki, Inoue! Oh, I was just going to-"

"Don't even try to lie to us." Tatsuki cut in. "We saw the little 'fight' you and Kariya had today. You are going to meet him, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am"

"Why Kuchiki? You seemed so angry with him today?" Inoue asked her.

"I can't explain, I just have to meet him and I really need to hurry."

"Why do you need to hurry?"

"It's at the park by the theater, it's quite a way to go, so if I want to beat him there I've got to hurry."

"Kuchiki, we're afraid he's going to hurt you. You shouldn't go. Listen, why don't you come with us after school instead?" Tatsuki suggested.

"That's a great idea, Kuchiki, please come!" Inoue added.

Rukia wished she could just go and spend some time with them, but she couldn't. She didn't want to endanger them anymore than she already had.

"I'd love to, but I just can't right now. I have to go-don't worry about me, I can take care of myself!" she said and ran out the main doors.

"I don't like it. We have to stop her." Tatsuki said to Inoue.

"I don't think we can. She won't listen to us."

"No, she won't, but I think I know someone who can stop her. Come on!"

Inoue followed her best friend through the crush of students to come upon Ichigo.

"Kurosaki!"

"Huh, oh hey Tatsuki, Inoue-have you seen Rukia around?"

"That's what we came to tell you. We just saw her and we tried to stop her but she went anyway!"

"Inoue, you aren't making any sense, why were you stopping her?"

"She was going to meet Kariya."

Ichigo suddenly felt very cold-why had he thought she would stop? Hadn't he heard Renji telling her that she couldn't stop?

She may not have feelings for Kariya-he was more than thankful for that-but she would continue to fulfill her duties…he remembered the fight that he had witnessed earlier that day and began to worry what Kariya was going to do to Rukia when he had her alone. He had already hurt her once, he'd be damned if he let that happen again.

"Where?" he asked with barely contained fury.

"The park by the theaters, she was in a hurry."

Tatsuki had no idea whether Ichigo actually heard the last part as he had already taken off after Rukia.

"I hope he finds her in time." Inoue said "I think he's the only one that can stop whatever is going on."

Tatsuki couldn't agree more. Rukia was nice enough-but Ichigo loved her, it was obvious. If Rukia got hurt, Ichigo would never forgive himself.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Confessions

Ichigo had a horrible feeling in his stomach. She had gone to meet Kariya again, and he had already hurt her once. He'd be damned if he let that happen again. The park…why was the damn park so far away? Did he just want to get her away from more familiar surroundings? Was there some sort of significance in that park?

He didn't have time to wonder about it as he raced after Rukia. He had to catch her before she got there-he had to stop her. On his way there, he decided that he would do whatever it took to stop her. The time had finally come for him to know, once and for all how she felt about him. There would be no more assumptions on his part. Rukia would tell him the truth-all of it.

As he ran he thought of what he could tell her to stop her. Words of love didn't come easily to him and he felt himself getting more and more nervous. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice that it had started to rain. Then when he was nearing the park in a small clearing he saw her. An anxious feeling settled in his gut and his hands wouldn't stop shaking. As he came upon her petite form, he called out to her-but she didn't stop.

"Rukia!"

"Rukia please stop! I have to talk to you, please!"

He was begging her.

She finally came to a stop and he slowed his steps and came to a halt behind her.. She didn't turn around to face him, and he thought that might make it easier for him.

"Rukia…I-"

"Ichigo don't please. I have to do this, and I know you don't understand why, but I still have to do this. Just let me go."

Ichigo was shocked to hear her say that, but was also angered by it. How could she think he could just let her go?

"Rukia, I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I can't just stand by and watch you do this anymore."

He saw Rukia straighten and her fists clench. _Here it comes…_

"Ichigo, you don't know what's going on, and I need to keep you out of it. I don't know if I can continue doing what I have to if you know…I'm sorry but it's better for everyone if you keep out of this."

Ichigo let himself smile. She was still worried about him, she was still trying to keep him protected.

"I know more than you think Rukia."

She didn't respond and he knew he would have to prove what he knew. She wouldn't take the chance of slipping up and letting him know too much.

"You don't believe me do you?" he sighed at her, almost playfully and let out a chuckle when he saw her shift her weight to her right hip-she always did that when she was annoyed with him.

"Alright then, I can prove it to you. I know that you really don't have feelings for Kariya. I also know that you gave Renji a report on him earlier today. From what he mentioned, Kariya is your mark, meaning that he is a mission, isn't he?"

Rukia only lowered her head-_how did he find out? That idiot Renji! He might have ruined everything…_

She had to stop this from going any further…

"I don't know what you are talking about Ichigo. Only someone as challenged as you would come up with such an insane idea."

Ichigo scoffed at her, she could picture his face, he'd be scowling at her with his arms crossed.

"You are really going to try and lie to me to get out of this? You should know by now that when it comes to me, at least, you are a horrible liar."

"Dammit Ichigo, just drop it! Don't you get it? I can't stop now, I have to keep going-no matter what." She had half turned to him when she said that, and he could see her profile. She looked so sad and alone. In that one moment he got a tiny glimpse of what so much of her life had been like. Then he fully absorbed the last thing she had said.

"What the hell do you mean 'no matter what'?"

He saw her close her eyes then turn fully away from him again and start to walk away. "You wouldn't understand." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear it.

"Oh I think I understand Rukia. 'No matter what it takes' huh? Just how far are you willing to go to get some information on this guy?"

"As far as I have to."

Ichigo froze at the implication. She was really willing to sacrifice herself for this? He wouldn't let her do that…

"Rukia…listen to me-you don't have to do this. I-"

"No Ichigo, you can't do anything to help. I have to do this on my own. I told you before that I have my reasons."

"Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot what your brother said. What was it? Something about he knows you can get vengeance for the Kuchiki family? Is that really your reason? To get revenge for your brother?"

Rukia wrapped her arms around herself, "For him and my sister."

Ichigo suddenly felt like a complete jerk…she really did have her reasons, what the hell was he saying?

"I…I didn't mean…"

"Ichigo…you don't know about my sister do you? It's alright, I didn't either until my brother told me. She abandoned me years ago, in Rukongai, she didn't think she could take care of me. Then, she met my brother and they were married. She came back to look for me, but she never found me. She made my brother promise that if he found me he would take care of me, and he has."

Rukia stopped and sighed, she still hadn't looked at him to see how he was reacting. "Please go on." She heard him slowly moving closer to her.

"My sister's name was Hisana. I've seen pictures of her-she was so beautiful, but I don't remember anything about her. My brother loved her very much. That's why he has done so much for me. I didn't know any of this until…it was after Aizen. It was then that Aizen admitted to us all the horrible things he had done."

Ichigo watched Rukia in front of him. She looked so small and fragile while she remembered these things. He wanted more than anything to just take her in his arms and hold her until all of her pain was gone.

"Aizen was responsible for my sister's illness and he nearly killed my brother. He was the one that was doing experiments on the Hollows…one of his experiments possessed Kaien and-I had to…stop him from hurting anyone. Aizen was responsible for all of it! Aizen nearly killed you too!"

Rukia stopped again when she realized she was screaming. She couldn't keep going, she thought she was going to fall and put a hand to her forehead. She felt tears pricking her eyes and fought to hold them back.

Then she felt strong arms wrapping around her waist and Ichigo's reassuring presence and his warm breath on the side of her neck.

"Keep going Rukia, don't stop now."

Rukia knew she should stop him, push him away from her. She should, but she couldn't do it. Instead she rested her own arms over his and absentmindedly began to rub his hands. She took a deep breath and went on with her explanation.

"After the attack on Soul Society we didn't know if my brother would ever recover. I stayed with him, every day, trying to repay him for what I had just learned. He fought for me Ichigo-he fought for me to protect me, and Aizen…he nearly killed him. When I was offered this mission, I knew that I would have to take it."

Another shaky breath and she said it, "Soul Society believes that Kariya might be working with Aizen. I was sent here to find out if that is true, and to try to find out what Aizen is doing, what sort of powers he is gaining."

Ichigo tensed at the mention of Kariya's name. This was all starting to make sense now. No wonder Rukia felt like she had to do this mission, no matter how much she hated it. By finding out information about Kariya she might be able to find Aizen. For a moment he wondered what he would do if he was in her position, and then he knew.

"Rukia I can't stop you can I?"

She lowered her head again and slowly shook her head. "No, I can't stop. Now that you know everything that is at stake…how could you think that I could stop? I'm the only one that can do this. The only Death God that looks the right age, has the experience and the only one who has a low enough level of spirit power to go undetected."

"But there has to be another way! You can't do this anymore Rukia, he hurt you! What would happen if he found out? He could…"

"Ichigo it doesn't matter what could happen. I'm in too far now to stop. I don't know enough yet, not enough to do any good. There isn't any other way, we don't have any other ways to get information except to sit back and wait and I don't think anyone wants to do that."

Ichigo tightened his grip around her waist and pulled her back into his chest. "Rukia he's hurt you! I'm not just going to let him do it again…"

"It's not that bad, and it's not like I can't take care of myself Ichigo!"

"Your powers still haven't returned, right now you are vulnerable-I won't let him hurt you Rukia."

"Ichigo, you can't interfere! There is too much at stake-you have to stay out of this."

Ichigo realized this was his chance. He had already lost her twice and he didn't know if he could survive it again. He knew if there was any hope of keeping her in his life he had to tell her-it was now or never.

He leaned down close so he was right next to her ear when he whispered, "There is too much at stake for me to stay out of this Rukia."

When Rukia felt his breath on her ear she shivered, his voice was deep and full of meaning, and he was holding her. Without realizing it she leaned back into him as he said those words.

_Too much at stake? What does he mean? Does he really think he is going to get involved in this along with me?_

"Ichigo…you can't get involved. I can do this on my own, I have to."

"That is exactly why I can't stay out of this. You are at stake here, putting yourself at risk. If you are in danger I have to be involved-I can't just sit back and watch."

Ichigo had taken ahold of one of her hands as he said this and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Rukia, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

Rukia thought she might die there in his arms. He was so warm and he was being so gentle with her. Had he really said that? Was he saying what she hoped he was, with every fiber in her being?

"Ichigo I-"

He turned her to him and moved his lips to hers, "I should have done this a long time ago Rukia"

This time she didn't turn away, she was rooted to the spot with his arms around her. She felt his lips touch hers, so tentatively at first. They were soft but hard at the same time. At first, he brushed them against hers and she felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightening.

One small taste of her wasn't enough and he pressed his lips against hers again and again. He was amazed at how well she fit against his chest, how his arms seemed to find the perfect spot to hold her against him. She was so sweet and smooth, almost like silk and she was surprisingly warm.

Ichigo was shocked to see how carried away he was getting from a few small kisses…and then he realized she wasn't responding. The moment he had turned her to him and let go of her hand her arms had dropped to her sides. She was standing there, not moving to kiss him or giving him any signs of encouragement. Regretfully he stopped. His breathing was hard and fast, he felt like he had been drowning and was coming up for air when all he wanted was to dive back down into the water.

"I'm sorry-I shouldn't have done that" he apologized to Rukia.

_Dammit, I'm such an idiot! She doesn't feel the same for me-she would have kissed me back, put her arms around me….she didn't do anything._

Suddenly he didn't feel like he could breathe. He had just laid it all out there for her, all she had to do was take it. He felt a horrible pain in his chest-he had to get away from her.


	14. Chapter 14

Wow, sorry for the long wait in the update. I've got another story I'm working on at the same time trying to finish up. Please don't hate me! Thanks to Akum, David213, RedBloodedTalisman, Fish Pankakes and RedBloodedTalisman! Keep em coming please!!

Chapter 14

Battles

"I need to get out of here-I'm sorry-" he murmured before he started to turn and walk away from her.

"Ichigo" came Rukia's soft voice. He had no choice but to stop and face her, no matter how badly he wanted to be alone…if she wanted him to stay he would.

When he looked at her, he saw an expression on her face he hadn't ever seen before. It was a mixture of curiosity and amazement.

When he turned back to Rukia she saw such a look of anguish on his face she was tempted to blurt out her feelings. But instead, she moved slowly to him and reached up one hand to the side of his face and rubbed her palm against it.

At her touch Ichigo closed his eyes-his mouth had suddenly gone dry. Her hand was so soft and warm… She moved her hand to the back of his neck and then applied a little pressure to pull him back down to her level. That was all Ichigo needed to claim her mouth with his again.

At first, he was in control but that didn't last long. Rukia ran her fingers through his hair and he felt a sensation of desire run through him. When she opened her mouth and licked his lips he gasped and she took the chance he had given her. She wrapped her one arm around his neck and her other hand was busy tugging at Ichigo's hair.

Ichigo was floored. He was overjoyed at Rukia's response to him but lost the ability to think coherently soon after she came to him. All he knew was Rukia was there with her arms around him, kissing him. That was all he needed to know. He moved one arm to her lower back and pulled her closer and rubbed her neck with his other hand.

Her tongue plundered his mouth over and over and she was extremely insistent. Ichigo soon realized that this was definitely going somewhere fast and tore his mouth from hers.

"Rukia-"

"Don't talk Ichigo, just kiss me"

He looked at her, shocked at her words. How many times had he dreamed of this? How many times had he wanted to run his fingers through her dark locks? Here she was, finally, and why was he trying to stop again?

The rain had picked up more and they were both soaked, but he didn't care and Rukia looked like she didn't either. Ichigo moved her wet bangs out of her face and leaned back down to her. As they began again, he forced himself to move much slower and Rukia quickly delighted him by letting out a low moan.

He smiled against her lips and she took a fistful of his hair and tugged him closer. If he thought he was in control he was sorely mistaken.

Rukia had never felt this before. The tension between them was mounting at an exponential rate and she reveled in his attentions. She wanted to be closer to him, she wanted to feel his skin against hers.

She grunted in her frustration and started to undo the coat Ichigo had on over his shirt. He didn't even notice when she had it completely undone and began moving her hands over the thin wet fabric. All he knew was it felt good, but he wanted more, and he wanted it now.

Rukia was more than happy to comply and began to pull him down to the ground with her. He braced himself over her with one arm and used the other to start on her buttons. Rukia wrapped one leg around his and focused her attention on kissing him. Feeling his hand reach inside of her coat she gasped and Ichigo groaned. Every movement Rukia made against him set his skin on fire. It was like all of his senses had been heightened where she was concerned. All he could hear, taste, smell or feel was Rukia.

The two were so lost in each other they didn't realize what was happening around them. They didn't see the telltale darkening of the sky, they didn't hear the scream of a Hollow approaching them. Neither one of them had felt the other's spiritual energy spike, they only felt the love between them finally being expressed.

The Hollow sensing the strong energy was drawn to the couple and realizing that he still wasn't detected, took his chance and came upon them.

Positioned above the both of them he raised a talon, preparing to impale the two.

Ichigo had just discovered one of the more sensitive areas on Rukia's neck, completely by accident when she dug her nails into his shoulder and made a sound that wasn't quite like a scream. All he wanted to do was make her make that sound again. As he focused on the same area Rukia opened her eyes for a moment, she cocked her head to one side as she focused on the form looming over them. When she saw the talon she understood and terror engulfed her being.

_It's going to kill Ichigo!_

She reacted without thinking and pushed Ichigo with all of her might to the side.

At first, Ichigo didn't understand what had happened. One moment he was kissing Rukia, hearing the most tantalizing sounds in his life, and the next she was shoving him away.

The first thing that he thought was that she had suddenly changed her mind, but when he looked to where she was his blood ran cold.

Rukia had been able to get Ichigo out of the way in time. Unfortunately she hadn't been able to get herself out of the way. She had tried to roll to the side, but it had caught her back, leaving a gaping tear open on her skin.

She was on her hands and knees trying to stand when Ichigo reached her, "Rukia! Are you alright?"

He tried to help her stand but the Hollow knocked him to the side and focused on Rukia.

She was laying on the ground, blood soaking her clothes facing the Hollow. "What a little pretty you are. I can practically taste your soul already."

The Hollow lunged at her and she was able to dodge the attack this time. Ichigo had used his Death God certificate to change into a Death God and attacked the Hollow.

"Stay away from her!" he yelled as he slashed at the talon going towards Rukia.

The Hollow moved out of the way in time, but it's attention was on Ichigo now.

"Ah, a Death God with orange hair-I was told I might run into you."

Standing in between the Hollow and Rukia, with his Soul Slayer's blade pointed at the Hollow Ichigo shouted at it, "Who the hell told you that?"

The Hollow laughed and went to attack Ichigo. As Ichigo raised his sword to fend off the attacks, the Hollow blurred in his vision. When it became clear again, there were two instead of the one.

_It can replicate itself?_

They started attacking him in turns, one from in front and one from behind.

_This Hollow is much stronger than the others we normally fight. How could it have gained so much power?_

Rukia watched as Ichigo fought against the two Hollows now, and missed the third that had appeared.

It went in to attack Ichigo and he hadn't noticed it. He was too focused on the other two.

As Rukia realized what was going on, she was already on her feet and running. Ignoring the pain that was ripping through her, she forced herself to move.

Just as Ichigo had his back to the third Hollow he was fighting another and had just sliced through one of it's legs when he heard Rukia behind him.

"Ichigo!" she screamed. He wasn't going to react in time.

She leaped with all of her might towards Ichigo and was rewarded when she heard her flesh ripping.

Ichigo turned to see Rukia running to him. The look in her eyes was full of fear and then he realized why.

Another Hollow had somehow appeared and was about to impale him. He started to lift his sword to deflect the blow, but he knew it was too late.

Then Rukia filled his vision again as she came in front of him, her back to the Hollow.

He was screaming before it happened. He saw the look on Rukia's face when the limb of the Hollow went into her back and out of her chest. He saw the shock on her face…and she gave him a sort of half smile and started to lift a shaking hand to him.

Her blood had been thrown everywhere and he realized he was covered in it.

With mounting horror he realized she was impaled on the end of the talon and he reached out to her, but he was too late.

The Hollow pulled her away and casually threw her to the side.

"It's you we want" it chided him.

All Ichigo heard was Rukia gasping for breath after she had been hit…Their eyes had locked for a moment and she had looked afraid and relieved at the same time.

His eyes hadn't left her since she had been hit. That Hollow had just thrown her like she was garbage…she had been thrown through the air and landed several feet away. She wasn't moving…she isn't moving…because of me…

**What the hell have you done?**

_Rukia…_

**Kill that bastard!**

_Oh God…is she?_

**Dammit Ichigo, kill him! He hurt her, he has to pay!**

_It's my fault, I wasn't paying attention. I let my guard down. I couldn't…keep her safe._

**You idiot! If you can't protect her let me do it then! **

_I have to get her help, I've gotta get her out of here!_

"Rukia!" he screamed her name as he ran to her. "Rukia answer me!"

One of the Hollows landed in front of him and stopped him, nearly taking his head. "Don't worry about the girl, she's dead. You should worry about us!

The other Hollow came at him then and he was quickly losing ground, being forced back farther away from Rukia.

Ichigo kept calling to her, but she didn't answer, she didn't move. No matter how he strained his eyes, he couldn't tell if she was still breathing. He was overcome with panic. He had to kill these two and do it fast so he could get Rukia help.

The Hollow inside of him was rampaging. He wanted out and was furiously fighting. Ichigo was starting to have serious problems with Rukia dying in front of him, his Hollow fighting with him on the inside and being attacked by three Hollows at once.

It was apparent that the Hollow he had started out fighting was strong, a lot stronger than the usual Hollows.

**Let me the hell out! I have to protect her!**

He dodged one attack and launched one of his own.

**You can't protect her, look how well you've done so far. You know I can save her. I can kill them in time. If you keep going at this pace she will die, is that what you want?**

Ichigo shook his head trying to focus on the fight at hand. When another one of his attacks was thwarted and he was caught on the arm the Hollow tried again.

**Ichigo if you don't let me out Rukia could die. Do you really want to risk her life?**

_If I do let you out she could die. Even if you do kill them, Rukia sill needs help…_

**Worthless fool! Ichigo I'm a part of you, I am you. Don't you think that I care about Rukia just as much as you do? Now let me the hell out of here so I can save her!**

The Hollow burst out of Ichigo and wasted no time in releasing bankai. He used the wrapping on Zangetsu to twirl it around gaining momentum. As he shot into the air he threw it at one of the Hollows and pierced it's skull.

Once that was done, he moved on to the next and flash stepped behind it, using the hilt this time to crack it's skull open.

The third and final Hollow became enraged and threw itself at him. Ogichi grinned back at him and ran to meet him.

At the last moment he dropped down and sliced through the Hollow bottom to top. He stood up and looked around quickly to make sure that there were no more. Once satisfied he flash stepped to Rukia's side.

She was on her side and there was blood everywhere. Rukia's blood…

Not really sure of how to proceed he leaned over her and shook her shoulder, "Wake up."

She didn't respond. He shook her harder-still nothing.

She still didn't move so he tried again, "Rukia damn you-wake up!"

I'm having some serious issues with this next chapter…I had it done…but it's not how I want it so…I'm going to have to redo it! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it!


	15. Chapter 15

Alright folks, here it is! The long awaited chapter that I had some serious issues writing. I'm really sorry for making you all wait for this update, but you all know life gets in the way. Sadly, I'm a college student, and stupid exams get in the way-the same with work. Anyway-here it is! I'm about halfway done with the next update, so that one should be up soon! Again, thank you all so much for your reviews! Oh yeah…I need some opinions on what I'm planning on doing. This story may end up being a lot longer than I originally thought it would be and-I may be getting ahead of myself-I'm seeing options come up for a sequel. So, yes no? Also there are some things that I believe need to happen between Ichigo and Rukia, yup I'm talking about **that**! Now, if you are totally opposed to them sleeping together or if you can't wait to see it happen, please let me know. We'll just take a vote on it over the next few days. Now, on with the story.

Chapter 15

Save Her

"Rukia damn you-wake up!"

That's when he realized exactly how fragile she was. She lay there in his harms, she was so small, so pale and drenched in her own blood. He had never gotten accustomed to the feelings he had for Rukia, but thought that he would eventually, and had long ago accepted them. The idea that he might lose her was unimaginable. Ever since he had begun his existence all he heard was 'Rukia'. He knew the memories Ichigo had of Rukia, knew the thoughts and feelings he had for her, and he completely agreed with him. Even though he himself had never met her before now. Now, she was lying on the ground in the rain bleeding to death. Give him a battle that he could use his sword in and he would win, but this was unchartered territory for him-he had no idea how to make sure that Rukia would be alright.

Then, thankfully, she made a groaning sound and her eyes fluttered open.

He wasn't sure of what he was expecting her to do. Maybe scream at him, ask him what she had done to Ichigo, but certainly not what she actually did. When her eyes came into focus on him, he saw the shock on her face, saw her stiffen-but then she relaxed, ever so slightly, and even gave a faint smile.

"Are you-I mean Ichigo-is he…alright?" she asked him. He was incredulous…the first words she actually ever spoke to him-him not the Ichigo she knew. They were still about him…

He had always wondered what his first meeting with Rukia would be like. He had not expected this. "As soon as I came into control there wasn't a possibility that I could be hurt. Those Hollows were nothing." He said and leaned down to pick her up.

Rukia jerked in his arms and made a groaning sound. She grabbed hold of his upper arm and made a sort of hissing sound as she sucked in her breath.

He thought he might come out of his skin when she touched him. Rukia, _his_ Rukia was there in his arms, she wasn't struggling with him-she wasn't afraid of him. All at once that one fact infuriated him and enthralled him…she wasn't afraid.

"I'm glad that…you're alright." She said to him. Then she turned to the side and coughed, and blood fell from her lips to the ground.

He moved his hand to her face and wiped the blood away. "Does it hurt?" he asked her.

She looked at him and gave him a look that said she couldn't quite believe he was asking her that, "Not much, anymore." And she leaned back in his arms.

He knew that wasn't good, and that she was dying. It had to hurt, she had a huge wound in her chest. He had to get her to help and fast if she had any chance of surviving.

He stood up and shifted her weight in his arms. "Where can I take you to get you help Rukia?" he asked, surveying his surroundings again. "Rukia you need healing, just tell me where to take you-I promise I won't bite…." When she still didn't respond he looked back at her-her face was buried against his chest. He set her down with her back against a tree and lifted her face up, she was unconscious…

He shook her again, "Rukia!" He held her face and watched intently, "Rukia…if you think for one moment that you can get away from me like this…"

_Don't just sit there! She's dying, don't you see all of the blood?_

The Hollow looked down and saw the blood trickling down. He put his hand over her wounded chest and when he pulled it back, it was covered in it. Rukia was cold…but she wasn't even shivering

**Where do I take her? **

_Take her to Urahara's shop fast!_

**She can't die like this-we won't let her.**

_No...now go quickly._

The Hollow picked her up again and just as he was about to leave when he heard her groan.

"Rukia?" he asked quietly and as softly as he could manage.

She didn't open her eyes as she whispered, "Ichigo…please…Ichigo"

The Hollow nearly dropped Rukia as he stumbled to his knees from the force of the attack Ichigo suddenly unleashed to gain control.

**What are you doing? We had an agreement**!

_She needs me! Dammit, let me out! Give me back my body!_

**I can handle this…she**-

_She is calling for me, not you. Rukia wants me!_

Ichigo had never fought harder in his life as when he fought to get out for Rukia. His Hollow self was excellent in battle, there was no way to deny that.

However, when it came to knowing what Rukia needed, he had no idea, and Rukia was asking for _him_, not his Hollow. That alone filled him with such a force of desperation to be free that nothing could have stopped him.

Ichigo came to the surface easily and he looked down to see Rukia. Her face had some blood on it, and she was much more pale than usual-she opened her eyes partway and saw he was back to himself.

"Ichigo" she said very quietly.

He looked down at her with his usual scowl on his face and said, "Hang on Rukia, don't you dare die on me, not now!"

And he came to his feet and ran with her in his arms. He was able to go much faster than usual considering he was still in his Death God form.

In a matter of a few minutes he reached Urahara's shop and threw the door open. The occupants inside looked up to him in shock.

"She needs help." He roared.

Urahara and Tessai were the first ones to reach him and Tessai tried to take Rukia from him, but Ichigo couldn't seem to let go. "Give her to me." Tessai said and Ichigo tightened his grip on her, "No."

Quickly reading the situation and seeing the blood, Urahara said, "Follow me." And lead him into one of his back rooms to avoid any further confrontation.

"Hana, come in here."

There was a moment of confusion, but Ichigo didn't have time to ponder what was going on-Rukia needed help and for whatever reason, Hana was there. The anxious Death God from the Fourth Squad came in and quickly assessed the situation, eyes widening when he saw it was Rukia in Ichigo's arms.

His calm voice came across, "Lay her here, put her down gently." Ichigo did as he was told and then leaned over her. Hana would be able to save her, right?

Her eyes were closed now and her breathing was short and fast, and had become an almost gurgling sound now. Blood was seeping out of her mouth slowly.

"Hurry Hana, please." He heard himself say without looking away from her.

Hana sat on the other side of her, and he had some gloves on as he started to work his healing magic on her.

Tessai and Urahara pulled Ichigo back so Hana wouldn't be interrupted. It seemed to go on for hours and Ichigo didn't think he could even breathe.

"Will she be alright?" he asked a hundred times. But Hana never answered, he kept his eyes closed as the healing went on. He clenched his fists until he thought his hands might go numb.

Ichigo thought he was going to come out of his skin-Rukia lay there motionless. Her eyes were still closed, there was sweat mixing with the blood on her face, she wasn't moving…

"Why isn't she moving?" he demanded. "Dammit Hana, answer me, is she going to be alright?"

Then he felt the two holding him, pulling him out of the room and away from Rukia.

"No I need to stay with her. Dammit let me go!"

"No, you need to calm down Ichigo. Rukia needs you to stay calm, Hana needs to focus on her right now and he doesn't have time to be bothered by you or your questions."

That got his attention. He regarded Urahara with a scowl and refrained from hitting him.

Once they were back in the front room Urahara asked him, "Good, now Ichigo, tell us what happened. How did she get hurt so badly?"

He ran a hand through his hair, remembering-he had been so overjoyed. Rukia was with him, really with him. She had finally explained her reasoning to him, and he understood why she was doing it now-why she had to, even though he hated it, he understood.

She had let him kiss her and she had kissed him back, fervently. He remembered how strong her hand had been when it was tugging at his hair, and then how weak it had seemed, how cold…

"There was a Hollow-it had the ability to replicate itself. It was stronger than what I had expected and…"

"It must have been a lot stronger…for it to have gotten passed you to hurt Rukia."

Ichigo lowered his head, "I wasn't…good enough. I let it hurt her…actually-she was saving me again. If she hadn't gotten in the way that would be me in there. She's such an idiot…"

There was a long silence that filled the room. One of those silences that was harder and harder to break the longer it went on. Ichigo couldn't think of anything but Rukia-how soft she had finally been for him and how she was in the next room dying for him now.

He kneeled down and held his head in his hands. Rukia was dying and it was his fault. She was dying just when he thought they could have a chance.

She would never smile for him again, never laugh for him. He would never know what her reaction would be when he told her he loved her. He would never know if that was how she felt in return.

There would be no more late night conversations or Hollow hunts.

Suddenly the front door opened, and Inoue Chad and Ishida came in-carrying his body.

"You really should be more careful where you leave this Kurosaki." Ishida said, sliding his glasses back up.

"Where is Kuchiki?" Inoue asked, looking around the room for her.

Chad didn't say anything, but carried his body to him and laid it down in front of him. Chad always seemed to be able to understand what was going on without words. He knew Ichigo didn't want to talk, knew he wanted to be left alone.

Ichigo didn't answer Inoue, he kept his eyes averted from his friends as he got back into his body.

When he sat back up, he looked at Chad and he nodded back in response.

"Rukia is in the next room getting healed. She was…hurt."

Inoue's reaction was horrible, one that Ichigo didn't think he could even stand to watch. Her eyes teared up and she clenched her fists. "I tried Kurosaki…I…after I found you I went after Chad and Ishida. I thought they could help too but…"

Ichigo looked away from her and to the floor. Anything was better than watching someone else beat themselves up over something that was his fault.

"Kariya hurt her didn't he? I should have tried harder to stop her from going to him!" she berated herself.

"No" Ichigo started, bangs covering his eyes, "I got there in time-she never made it to Kariya. It was a Hollow."

"A Hollow was able to hurt Kuchiki that badly?"

Ichigo couldn't find his voice. Not that he really wanted to, but it just didn't matter anymore. He was able to nod.

_Damnit, it's been too long…she should be healed by now. She should be awake, yelling at me for being so wreckless. Damnit Rukia!_

Ichigo sat there and waited for them to come and tell him she had died. He waited for them to say his world, that had finally just started to move again, was over. He waited to hear that the second woman in his life, the second woman that cared for him had died protecting him.

Ichigo couldn't feel anything anymore. He was numb-numb because this was too intense to be real. What he wouldn't give to have things back to normal…well as normal as anything got around Rukia.

Rukia had finally accepted him today. She had kissed him in return and now she was dying, and it was his fault.

All because when he had been with her he had let his guard down. He had become so wrapped up in what was going on between them, that Rukia had to shove him out of the way and take the blow herself.

Then again in the fight, because his mind was not focused on the fight-because he was still thinking of protecting Rukia of holding her in his arms…he hadn't noticed the third apparition of the Hollow.

It was all because of him. If he hadn't gone after Rukia, if he had just kept his damn mouth shut-she might be with Kariya, but she would be alive.

He felt an unfamiliar stinging in his eyes, and a hard ball of pain form in the pit of his stomach. A horrible unease came over him and he knew that if Rukia wasn't alright that he would never be the same. His life would never be the same…it would be over.

That was when Hana opened up the door from the back and closed it quietly behind him. He looked afraid and went straight to Ichigo.

Ichigo hadn't realized it but as soon as the door opened he had leapt to his feet and was in front of Hana, holding him up by his collar

"Is she….is Rukia…"

"Ichigo please put me down." Hana asked him in a terrified tone.

He had to calm himself down and he apologized quickly. "Sorry Hana…"

"No, it's alright. Ichigo-Rukia has a horrible wound. I'm not sure if I can heal it."


	16. Chapter 16

Here it is, drum roll please! First and foremost, thanks to all my fabulous reviewers: Narutorules, KittiKat626, David213, Secluded Sapphire, RedBloodedTalisman, Fish Pancakes, Xxdoctorwho28fanxX! Much love to you all, and again, sorry for delays in between updates. I'll do my best to keep em coming as fast as I can! As it came out, a sequel may be in the works in the dark recesses of my mind-angsty beyond belief-and yeah, they are gonna sleep together. Not in this chapter tho-I'm working up to it! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 16

Healing

Ichigo's hand shot out and grabbed Hana again, "Don't you dare tell me she won't be alright. Get back in there and heal her dammit!"

This time Hana realized the real danger he was in and knew he had to try and appease the half-crazed Ichigo.

"Ichigo, Rukia is alright at the moment. She isn't in any danger of dying right now."

Ichigo opened his mouth again to yell, but instead closed it and blinked at him. "What?"

Hana had to repeat himself three times before Ichigo put him back down. He opened up the door with orders that he remain quiet and let Ichigo see for himself that the bleeding had stopped and Rukia was resting.

After he saw Rukia's chest rising and falling with an even beat he sagged with relief.

"Thank you Hana. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't been here."

It was then that Ichigo finally realized what Hana had said earlier-'Rukia has a serious wound that I'm not sure I can heal' that was what he said.

"So what sort of wound does Rukia have that is so serious then Hana?" he asked with as much composure as he could.

He noticed that his hands were still shaking rather violently and he felt a little weak in the knees. So he sat down and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Yes Hana and why are you here? Not that we are complaining, but still-" Inoue chimed in.

"Oh no, that's alright! I actually came here because of Renji. He came to my Captain and told her about the burn on Rukia's shoulder. She thought it was something serious and so we started doing some work on it. I think I know what it is and when I told her she sent me here to try and find Rukia right away."

_Right away? That sounds pretty serious, I thought it was just a bad burn._

"What do you think it is Hana?"

Hana motioned everyone away from the room Rukia was in and sat down. He watched Ichigo as he started to explain the blistering mark on Rukia's arm.

"That mark is the work of someone with great spiritual power. I believe that it works much like a sickness, only the source of it is that mark."

"Kuchiki was infected by someone?" Inoue shrieked.

Hana shook his head, "In a way yes. But this illness not only makes her sick but has to do with persuasion as well. I believe it is actually giving Kariya power over her. The longer it is there, the worse it gets, the harder it will be for Rukia to do anything against his wishes. That mark itself has power of it's own. It will drain power, in this case Rukia's own power, and put her under the control of whoever put it on her."

Ichigo frowned, "So…Kariya can control Rukia as long as that mark is on her?"

Nodding, Hana answered, "I think so, but not only that. The longer it is there, the weaker she will become. It could devour her if we don't find a way to remove it. It is corrupting her very soul Ichigo."

Ichigo clenched his fists, "Then get that damn thing off of her!"

Hana frowned, "It's not that simple. We haven't seen many of these wounds before…certainly never had the chance to really heal them. I'm-I'm not sure where to even begin with it."

"Are you saying you won't do it?" Ishida asked with a measure of calm Ichigo was amazed at. How could he stay so calm like that? Rukia was in there slowly being killed by Kariya…

"You'll figure out a way to do it Hana." Ichigo said between clenched teeth.

"Well I have an idea…"

"I can try and help you!" Inoue volunteered.

"Alright, but we'll have to keep Rukia awake for this. We'll have to know if we are causing pain or healing her-she'll be the only one that can tell us."

As Ichigo stood up to go back to Rukia, he started to feel that knot grow in his stomach. "This…it's-she won't get hurt will she?"

Hana didn't look at him as he answered quietly, "I don't know Ichigo. I'm pretty sure about what will happen if we don't get that thing off of her, but…I don't know how to remove it. We'll just have to see as we go along I guess."

_Damn, that doesn't sound good at all. This could really hurt her, and we have no idea what the hell we're about to do. But I know that Rukia would rather have us try and get it off of her then just let it slowly diminish what power she has left. Not to mention the fact that the longer it stays on her the more power Kariya has over her. _

Before Hana woke Rukia up, he gave out hushed directions. "She may be disoriented when she wakes up. I did give her something to put her to sleep. Also, she may thrash around as this procedure may be…painful to her. Now Rukia is stronger than most, so we will have to try and hold her down without hurting her.

Rukia had been covered up to the chin by a blanket that Hana pulled down revealing bandages over her chest. Her arms however, were bare and Ichigo saw this horrible mark on her shoulder. In that instant, all he could think of was Kariya's hand on Rukia…

Hana instructed Ishida and Chad to hold Rukia's legs down while he and Inoue took up opposite sides along her torso. Ichigo and Urahara each held an arm down, with Ichigo across from Hana.

"Alright Inoue, just follow my lead once she is awake. We'll start slowly and if there isn't a bad reaction, we'll speed it up alright?"

Inoue's face was a picture of concentration when she nodded.

"Okay, here we go."

Hana leaned down over Rukia and held a small jar under her nose. Rukia's face almost instantly began to twist into a small frown and her eyes batted open.

She couldn't seem to focus on anything when she woke up. The first thing she noticed was bright orange hair over her. She tried to keep her eyes on that as she took in the rest of her surroundings. The second thing she noticed was that awful searing pain she felt on her shoulder. She was laying down…what the hell had happened?

She tried to ask him, but her mouth was horribly dry and when she did finally manage to say something it sounded horrible to her.

"Ichi-go…what?" she almost scoffed at herself. Was that all she could get out? How hard could it really be to speak a few words? This was ridiculous.

Ichigo leaned down closer to her-ah yes-that was what they had been doing earlier. Rukia's memories of what had happened between them flooded her mind and she felt herself smile at him.

When she saw the look of worry behind the scowl on his face, she remembered the fight against the Hollow that had…interrupted them.

"Rukia…you were hurt-but Hana was able to heal you. I'll explain that later-but that mark" she watched as his eyes shifted to the offending area "it doesn't look good. We've got to get it off of you."

Rukia wanted to hit him-but she felt far too weak and that would just take too much energy. She settled for a verbal assault instead, "Moron…just a burn."

She kept her eyes focused on his while she said it and was rewarded when his eyes narrowed slightly at 'moron'. That was just what she was looking for.

He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, they were serious-"No Rukia, it's not just a burn-it's going to hurt you, it already is. We're going to try and heal it…" He looked away and clenched his fists again.

_Damn, how do I tell her this could really hurt her? Or that Hana has no idea what the hell he's doing?_

Then he felt Rukia's tiny hand on his own. Instinctively he opened his hand and let hers fill his palm. He caught her tiny nod and wasn't sure if she meant it as reassurance to him or understanding. He decided she did it for both.

"Go ahead Hana." He said in a low voice.

"Kuchiki, what we will do is something very new-these types of wounds are rare. We needed you to be awake so that you could tell us if this starts to hurt. In that case we will have to stop."

She nodded again and tightened her grip slightly on Ichigo's hand. "Alright everyone, let's start."

The healing did start out very slowly. A faint aura surrounded Hana as he held his arms out over Rukia and Inoue's was also present, though slightly brighter.

Ichigo kept a close watch on Rukia. At first he noticed no signs of pain at all and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Do you still feel alright Rukia?" Hana asked her tentatively.

She nodded in response and gave Ichigo's hand a quick reassuring squeeze. "Okay then, Inoue let's go a little bit deeper. Let's try and surround the infection we can sense and then if all is still well we will try to remove it."

As soon as the words were out of Hana's mouth, Ichigo felt the tiniest increase in pressure on the hand Rukia was holding. He moved his other hand to her arm, trying to make sure she knew he was there for her.

He saw her brow furrow slightly. He opened his mouth to ask if she was alright but saw her shake her head, almost imperceptibly. Well, it wouldn't be noticed by anyone else. He nodded back to her, and then said, "Just stay focused on me Rukia."

Their eyes locked and in that moment it was like nothing else existed for either of them. In that moment, while he stared into her lavender pools, he thought he could convey all of his feelings for her without speaking a word. This was the connection he reveled in, being able to just know what the other was thinking or feeling without having to say a word. He understood her and she understood him, all in silence. He didn't have to tell her...but he knew he still would-he also knew that Rukia was waiting for him to tell her.

"It's time Inoue, let's try and pull it all out of her." Came Hana's voice.

Ichigo broke contact with Rukia's eyes for just a moment as he looked at Hana. He looked strained and there was sweat starting to bead on his forehead. He looked to Inoue and saw that she was worse off. She was slouched over, panting heavily with a look of intense concentration.

His attention was drawn back to Rukia when he felt her grip his hand so tightly he thought she might crush his knuckles.

She was still looking at him, but there was a look of shock on her face and in her eyes. She inhaled sharply and he saw her jaw tighten.

"Rukia?" he asked more harshly than he had intended.

"I can't…keep ahold of it Hana!" Inoue said.

"Don't let go Inoue, I can't hold it on my own." Hana answered.

"Ichigo…" came Urahara's voice. When Ichigo followed his line of sight he saw the mark on her arm. It was pulsing at an increasing rate. Then, right before his eyes, it started to grow.

"Rukia-" he started again, looking back to her. He had enough time to see a look of determination in her eyes before she closed them tightly.

That was when things started to go badly. She dug her heels into the ground and pushed down with her arms, arching her back into the air. Her head also pressed into the ground. Then she started thrashing.

At first it was just little ticks or twinges here and there, but it soon escalated.

"Ichigo?" came Chad's low voice-but he didn't hear him. He was too busy staring at Rukia, trying to pick up on the connection that they had had earlier.

"Hana…" he said questioningly. "We can't…stop now. It's almost out of her!"

Ichigo increased his pressure on her arm, "I'm right here Rukia, just hold on a little longer. They've almost got it-"

She shook her head from side to side slowly and her face was twisted in a tormented expression of pain. Ichigo wanted to look away, he wanted to feel the pain for her and he wanted to throttle Hana.

"Just a little more Rukia…" he said in as calm a voice as he could.

She started to settle down at the sound of his voice, seeming to regain some semblance of control.

That was when Ichigo heard a sound that he will never forget. He might not have even caught it if he hadn't been watching her so closely. But he saw her lips part and heard a faint whimper followed by a quick and shaky intake of breath. She was trying so hard not to scream…


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Don't Give Up

"Stop it Hana….STOP! You're hurting her dammit!" he screamed.

"We aren't finished yet-"

"I don't care…just fucking stop-we'll figure out another way."

Inoue and Hana pulled their arms back and ceased the healing.

But Rukia was still tense, she still had him in a death grip. "Rukia?" he asked her softly leaning down to her.

She didn't answer, didn't even act like she had heard him. He leaned over her-she was taking quick sharp breaths, jaw locked and sweat running down her face.

"Rukia dammit, Rukia!"

When she still didn't answer him he turned on Hana, "Why didn't the pain stop Hana?"

But Hana wasn't paying attention to him, he was looking at the mark. It was still growing, slower now, but still growing, still throbbing.

"It's like she's fighting it now…and it's only making it worse…" that from Inoue.

"We've got to stop it quickly." Urahara said. "Hana, can you put her under again?"

Without answering Hana put a small drop of some creamy liquid on her forehead and Rukia immediately went limp, letting out a slow exhale of the scream she had been holding in. The mark's pulsing seemed to come to a stop.

Ichigo leaned in over Rukia, still holding her hand. "Rukia…"

Inoue watched, slumped against the wall as Ichigo's eyes darkened over Rukia's situation. He had to be so angry at himself, so worried for Rukia.

"What the hell do we do now…" she heard him mumble to her…

Ichigo was leaning down over Rukia, he still held her hand but he had it pulled in closer to chest. Inoue couldn't do anything but stare…

Hana, Urahara and the others all started to get up quietly to move into the other room. Inoue got up and started to follow them-but stopped and turned to Ichigo.

"Kurosaki…you should let her rest-" she tried

"No-I don't want to just leave her like this. I can't."

"I-I just thought that…" she started out, but he wasn't even looking at her. There was nothing but Rukia in his world now-she had no way to reach him. She had known this was how he felt…but she hadn't ever really let go of her hope that he might…return her feelings for him someday.

"You are really worried about her, aren't you?" she asked looking at the floor.

Without looking away from Rukia, Ichigo answered-he took a deep breath, "Dammit, yes. No matter how I try not to be, yeah I am."

Inoue nodded at his back, and decided that Kurosaki should be happy-he had earned that and deserved it. She had hoped that she would be the one to do this for him…but if that couldn't happen she would have to accept it. "I'm sure that Kuchiki will be fine-" she felt the tears coming, but she had to get this out, "Besides, would she want you to worry over her like this? She's strong-a lot stronger than me-I know she'll be alright." She said as she turned away from Ichigo and left him with Rukia, but she was almost positive that he hadn't heard it…

But someone else had

"That was very kind of you" Ishida said quietly as Inoue walked past him closing the door behind her.

She stopped and blushed slightly, "It was…nothing. Just something that-"

"You needed to say?" he finished for her. She gave him a weak smile. "If it helps, I'm sure that you will be fine too Inoue."

"Thanks Ishida, I hope so."

"Come on, the others are waiting."

The two joined the circle that the others had formed, "Do we have any idea why that didn't work?" Ishida started in.

"I have a few actually, but there is one that could make this whole situation a lot more dangerous."

No one in the room noticed the shadow that appeared under the closed door behind them, how it slowly cracked open or the brown eyes, that had suddenly taken on a fierce look, watching them.

"What do you mean Urahara?" Inoue asked

"Considering what Hana has said about persuasion and the reaction we just got when you both tried to heal her…I don't think there is any way that we can heal her-at least not in the way we know how."

"Then how do we heal her?" Chad asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't think that we can, this may be something that she has to do, a sort of battle she will have to fight on her own."

"There has to be something that we can do to help her!" Inoue started in again.

"Look at what happened when we tried! All we managed to do was cause her a lot of pain and make it worse…what good is our healing Inoue-what good is it now that all we can do is watch her…watch her die?" Hana was nearly moved to tears over this. He had gotten extremely attached to Rukia in the time he had known her. After everything he had risked, everything they all risked, it just didn't seem fair that this was how she was going to die.

"I have a proposition-but this may not go over very well with Kurosaki…" Ishida said, lifting his face and pushing his glasses up.

"Well whatever it is, it's got to be better than doing nothing, so out with it." Urahara coaxed him.

Ishida stole a quick glance at Inoue before he went on, "I think that the only way we can help…is if we get to the reason that was put on her to begin with."

"You mean Kariya?"

"Yes. I think he is the only one who can help her at this point."

Everyone jumped at the sound of the door slamming behind them. When they turned to the area it came from, they were confronted with a livid Ichigo.

"No way in hell am I letting you hand her over to him!"

"Kurosaki!"

"No Ishida, it's not happening. No fucking way! I swear…you just try it and I'll-"

"But what if it's the only way to help her?" Chad cut in, trying to stop the impending fight.

"What…no-that can't be right…"

"Ichigo, if that's the only way to help her…"

"No Chad, I can't…he's the one who hurt her! Besides that, if Hana is right, Rukia won't be able to defend herself against him at all-she'll be totally defenseless. I don't think he'd help her now anyway…" he finished in a low voice, averting his eyes.

"Why wouldn't he help her now?" Urahara asked.

"Idiot…she was going to meet him. He seemed pretty pissed at her today, and she was supposed to meet him-that's when I stopped her. Then…then we got attacked and came here. So for all he knows she just didn't show up."

"So you think that would stop him?"

"Well…yeah"

"Hmm, somehow I doubt that. Normally when a person tries to control someone, they don't intend to kill them before they get what they want…"

"It still isn't an option-think of something else."

Urahara considered Ichigo for a moment and then said-"You should probably just head back home anyway, get some rest from that fight. We can take care of her."

Ichigo half turned to go back to Rukia stopped and glared at Urahara. "Like hell I'm leaving her here. If I'm leaving so is she. In fact, I think that's a great idea. Hana, how long do you think she'll be out?"

Hana suddenly brought out of his grief perked up, "Oh, a few hours at least. I can make something for you to brew into a tea to help with the pain. I guess that's really all I can do at this point…"

"That's not true Hana! If you hadn't come back, we wouldn't have even known there was a problem until it was too late…and you were able to heal the wounds she got from that Hollow."

"Yeah…alright. Well then let me go ahead and make that for you."

Ichigo nodded and turned to go back to Rukia. He kneeled down next to her, "Well…we'll be going back to my house. I'll make sure you get plenty of sleep and all so…don't worry. If there is a problem or anything-I'll…"

He slumped down onto the floor. She looked peaceful right now at least. He couldn't get that image out of his mind. Of her…her face with her eyes closed tight, trying to block out the pain. For Rukia to show any outward signs of suffering…he couldn't imagine how that had felt.

It was all his fault. If only he hadn't been such an idiot. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut? Why the hell did he have to be so stupid? This was her mission, her risk to take…

No-there was no way he could make himself accept that. All he knew was that what she was doing was dangerous and he couldn't be there to protect her-that's what was making him go insane.

That and the fact another guy was even looking at her…touching her-

_Wow…I need to stop thinking about that or I really will go insane_

"Don't worry Rukia, I won't let it happen again. I will always be here to protect you."

After saying that, he did feel better. After all, it's what she would tell him to do. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to get that damn thing off of her shoulder and things would be back to normal…

Sorta.

He didn't know how long he sat there staring at her. She was so beautiful laying there sleeping; but he started to wonder if he didn't prefer it when she was screaming at him.

He definitely would rather hear her scream at him right now. This was just…wrong. She shouldn't be the one that's hurt, never Rukia.

A knock came at the door, "It's just me, I've got the mixture ready for you."

"Hmm? Oh…yeah thanks." Ichigo stood up and took the packet of herbs and placed it in his pocket.

"Any other instructions for me?" he asked with a little more edge to his voice than he meant to have.

"No, just let her rest. If there are any other problems, let me know or bring her back here."

"Yeah, I'll do that."

Ichigo turned and easily lifted Rukia into his arms, taking extreme measures to not disturb her injury, but keeping it carefully covered. They didn't need random strangers on the street staring…

As he made their way out of the shop an almost mocking voice rang out, "You sure you want to take her Kurosaki? She can be a handful you know…"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes in response, "Che, I sure as hell can't leave her here with all of you thinking you can just give her to Kariya and he will take care of her Urahara…"

Ichigo let the door slam on his way out. He didn't realize at the time that he had been so easily manipulated.


	18. Chapter 18

Okay everyone, here it is! The long awaited chapter-it's a bit longer than I originally meant it to be, but that can be good too right? Sorry I didn't get my thanks out last chapter, but it was like 2 am and I was in a rush to get it posted. Here we go: ShimmerSweet, David 213, Secluded Sapphire, Akum, RedBloodedTalisman, kawaii jen, 4 r0y MuStAnG, PokeTenshi, KittiKat626! So…I have most of the next chapter done-just need some revising and I think it's good to go. I was really nervous when I wrote this chapter, so I hope you all like it….and for the love of God tell me if you do! Lemme know if you think I should put more in or not. It has also officially been decided that there will be a sequel. Not that this is almost over or anything…you may want to start watching for some foreshadowing anyway. Ok, I'll stop babbling and let you read, enjoy!

Chapter 18

Never

The walk home was surprisingly uneventful, thankfully. No one stopped to ask why he was carrying and unconscious girl in his arms, and she didn't wake up, didn't even stir once.

When he got home the house was still empty and he went straight up to his room and carefully put Rukia down in his bed. He slipped her tiny form under the covers, feeling how much cooler her skin was. He couldn't help but notice how pale and soft it was either.

Silently cursing himself he pulled up his chair and proceeded to watch over her. It was several hours later when he awoke.

There were soft, whimpering sounds coming from somewhere in his room…and he was extremely stiff.

It wasn't completely dark in his room so he could make out her form easily. At another moan he leaped up, nearly knocking his chair over to see that Rukia was again in pain.

But not awake. There was sweat on her face again and her brow was furrowed, teeth clenched.

He checked the clock and was surprised to see it wasn't even ten yet. But still, that had been a few hours of sleep, for them both as it turned out.

"Rukia? Can you hear me?" he asked in a whisper as he leaned over her again.

No response so he called out her name again, and again. Nothing…

Letting curiosity get the best of him, he pulled the covers down so that he could see the burn. He just wanted to see if it was acting up again.

Oh, it was. Throbbing-almost squirming around. It had crept up her shoulder to her collar bone, practically on her neck. It hadn't spread nearly as far going down her arm.

It was a dark purplish color and it still had the same blisters on the surface.

He really hated Kariya at this point. Quickly he ran through his mind if he had any idea where he lived…

"Not an option for me to kill him either is it?" he said to no one in particular.

Staring at that damn mark, he started to get so angry and he felt so helpless-which led to more anger.

Without thinking he reached a hand out and tentatively touched the mark. As soon as he did Rukia arched her neck and let out a small hiss.

He pulled his hand back quickly and turned to her face, fearing he had caused more pain for her.

As soon as he moved his hand she let out another little sound of pain. He looked at his hand and back to Rukia.

"Now I wonder…" he said

With his eyes locked on Rukia's face he put his hand back over the mark-as most of it as he could- and waited for her reaction.

There was a sigh this time, and then it was like he felt all of her tension slowly ease out of her body. Something else that was strange was the burn was almost icy cold to his hand.

"That…is weird." He watched Rukia for a few more moments and saw that her face seemed to relax more too, and she wasn't making those distressing sounds anymore.

So, he sat on the corner of the bed and kept his hand on her burn. It wasn't long before he realized this wasn't going to work…

"There is no way I can stay like that all night…"

It was getting later…he should get sleep too right? Besides, if he was laying down next to her then it would be so much easier to keep his hand on her shoulder.

"Well I guess that's it then, I'm sure you'll understand Rukia…." He muttered as he prepared for bed. He threw on pajama bottoms, took off his shirt and climbed into the bed next to her.

Carefully he pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arm around her so that his hand came to rest right on top of the burn.

"Night Rukia"

Ichigo had never fallen asleep faster in his life. He had no nightmares at all. It was the most peaceful sleep he had gotten in such a long time.

Until sometime in the night he heard a weak voice calling out to him.

"Ichigo?"

He jerked awake and instinctively tightened his arms around Rukia, pulling her closer to him.

"Rukia?" he answered into the darkness.

"Why…am I in your bed?" He could practically feel her smirking at him, even though he couldn't see it.

"Uh….well-your burn! I was…um-just trying to"

"It's okay Ichigo, I feel much better now. But…what happened with the healing? I thought that it wasn't working…"

At the sound of her saying his name and okay in the same sentence he had started to ease his grip on her, but once he was reminded of what she had gone through earlier he increased his grip on her again.

"No, it didn't work. The opposite actually, it made it worse…"

There was silence and then, "So…you brought me back to your home? Were you going to have your Dad look at it?"

"What? Oh no no no, not that. No one else is even here-I brought you back here because, well since the healing didn't work…and they wanted to take you to-"

"Wait…why does my shoulder…it feels…"

"Yeah, that-no idea there. I was just looking at it…and I got curious so I touched it and it seemed to help."

"Ah, I see. That explains why I'm in bed with you."

"Well this just seemed so much easier…"

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"You moved your hand…"

"Oh shit-sorry" and he put it back quickly. "I didn't realize"

Rukia immediately relaxed back into him, letting out another sigh. "That feels…so much better. I hadn't realized how painful it had become."

Ichigo frowned at her back, "How long has it been hurting?"

"From the moment I got it, but it wasn't so bad at first."

"Rukia, do you have any idea what this is?"

There was a pregnant pause, and then "No."

"Hana thinks that it's a way for Kariya to control you, that it's slowly making you weaker. We know that we can't heal it…"

"Control me! What? That…explains why…"

Ichigo, who was starting to feel quite comfortable having a conversation with Rukia's bare back against his chest, his arms around her, his head in the crook of her neck…suddenly got extremely uncomfortable.

"What exactly does that explain?"

Rukia shivered, feeling his breath on her neck, "That night…right after he did it. He asked me to do something. At first, I thought I had it all under control and then…it was like for a moment I couldn't stop myself. I just did what he asked…" her voice had dropped off as she continued her explanation.

Ichigo was forcing deep breaths into his lungs, "What…did he ask you to do?" The silence seemed to go on for several hours to Ichigo as he waited for Rukia to tell him what he had been dreading ever since this had all started.

"He asked me to kiss him."

"Oh." He almost laughed. Then after about two seconds of thinking it over he decided that he shouldn't be feeling relief.

"WHAT?" he shouted in her ear.

She jerked in response, "You heard me, obviously."

"You kissed him? He made you kiss him?"

He felt her nod, and again pulled her to him. He sat in silence for several minutes thinking this over. He hadn't realized that Rukia had reached back and was rubbing his forearm and hand. What he did notice was when she rolled over gingerly so she could look at him properly.

"Does that bother you?"

No answer, although he did blush slightly and look away from her. Rukia took pity on him, "I think I might appreciate that actually."

She saw his head snap back towards her and she suppressed a laugh.

"You do? Why?"

She could picture him narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion and this time she did let out a low chuckle.

"Well, I guess it's just that this way…at least I know how you-"

She was cut off by Ichigo kissing her. It was only a small peck, but once he felt her lips again, he seemed to lose control of himself.

He couldn't get enough of her…he kissed her over and over again. He cupped the back of her neck in one hand and tried his best to keep the other on her shoulder.

Soon he had a handful of her hair in his hand as he struggled to get as close to her as he could. It took little to no coaxing from Ichigo for Rukia to open her lips for him, and once she did Ichigo-gently-started the war over who had control again.

As he plundered her mouth with his tongue, he attempted to roll her onto her back, like they had before, but Rukia had somehow managed to throw one leg over both of his and was in the process of twisting herself on top of him.

It was terribly easy to get Ichigo to lay on his back, all she had to do was play with the hair at the very base of his neck. Each time she did that, his muscles would jump under her treatment and he would dig his fingers into her skin.

In an easy, fluid movement she was on his lap, straddling him.

"Rukia…what are-"

She leaned back from him for a moment and glared at him, "Ichigo…shut up."

Then she came back to him and began her ministrations on his neck this time, slowly licking just at the base of his jaw line.

She felt him stiffen underneath her and could practically hear him grinding his teeth. She moved a little lower on his neck, almost directly under his ear and began to slowly make tiny circles with her tongue.

Then she bit him, fairly hard. She almost cackled to herself thinking that it would leave a mark.

"Rukia! What the hell, that hurt dammit." Ichigo glared at her as he started to sit up. She only smirked and gave a quick lick to the same spot. He froze, and when she started to suck on it gently, he fell back down to the bed.

Then she started moving further and further down his neck. She came to the base of his throat and drug her nails down his chest. He jerked and made a moaning sound. She stopped for a moment and cocked her head at him.

"Something wrong Ichigo?"

He regarded her through half lidded eyes, "Rukia…if you don't want…I mean-you just need to stop…doing that."

"Oh? Why would I do that?" she asked him quietly returning to her current obsession with his throat.

He made a groaning sound and pushed her back slightly, "Because Rukia…if you don't stop now…then I won't…I mean that I can't-"

She almost laughed at him, the only reason she didn't was because she knew he was trying to be honorable and respectful of her in his own weird way.

"Maybe I don't want to stop Ichigo. Did that ever cross your mind?"

He stared at her blankly. "Obviously not…moron." She muttered under her breath as she moved down to his chest tracing patterns with her tongue and fingers. Every once in awhile she'd bite him and he'd jerk. As she licked and sucked her way along him, she noticed that he was actually quivering and couldn't stop from smiling to herself.

She kept moving lower and lower and lower-finally when Ichigo thought he might have a moment of reprieve as she lifted herself off of him he said, "Rukia…don't you think that we should…"

"We should what?" she asked with her back to him.

"Talk-I think we should talk." He said in a low voice. He was pretty proud of the fact that he was-if slowly-regaining control of his thoughts.

Rukia stood up off of the bed and slid off her clothes. The only thing she still had on was the bandage that covered the wound she had received to her chest.

When she turned back to face him, he was understandably, speechless. "What did you want to talk about?"

All thought of talking had quickly left him as he watched her climb back on top of the bed and settle herself back on his lap. She rested her hands on his shoulders and looked at him expectantly.

All he could think was _thank God she has bandages on…_

"Ichigo? You wanted to talk about something? I'm assuming it's important considering.."

Ichigo forced himself to focus on her eyes, "Right…it is. I just think that we should talk before…Rukia-I don't want you to do something that you don't want to…"

After hitting him over the head she answered him. "What the hell would make you think I don't want to do this Ichigo? Is it really that hard to imagine? Don't you think that all of this has been hard for me too?"

Hard to imagine? No, he could imagine it pretty easily actually. But to accept it as reality was something else entirely.

"Okay then…why now Rukia? Earlier today you were going to run off to Kariya and now…you want to sleep with me all of a sudden?"

She nearly flinched away from the bite in his words. "It's not 'all of a sudden' Ichigo. What happened between us earlier today made me realize a few things."

Ichigo sat up closer to her and settled his hands on her waist. "What did you realize?"

She could feel his breath on her, his warm hands were like fire on her skin.

She kissed him quickly, "I realized that we both want this and that we should just shut up and take this chance to have each other. No matter what happens then, at least we will have this- no one would ever be able to take that from us."

He frowned at her, "Take it away? What do you think this is Rukia? I don't just want you for one night…I-"

She kissed him again to stop him, "Ichigo, I don't know how much of myself I can ever give to anyone, but I know that I want to do this and I want you. Right now, all I can give is this moment, so I guess the question is will you accept that or not?"

This time Ichigo kissed her, long and hard and when he broke the kiss, in between pants he answered, "If all I can have right now is this, I'll take it. Just know-I want more."

She smiled at him, but before she could say anything else he had pulled her closer to him, so that her chest was against his. His hands were all over her, rubbing her back, massaging her thighs. Rukia licked her lips, looking into Ichigo's eyes. She kissed him again, nipping at his lower lip, stroking her tongue along his she showed him exactly what she wanted to do.

She had one hand tangled in his hair and the other arm was thrown over one of his shoulders, that hand on his back, raking it with her nails.

She kept making these little, teasing moans in the back of her throat and all he wanted to do was make her do it again. One of his hands drifted down to her hip and he squeezed, she bucked against him in response and he was left moaning this time. He moved against her, involuntarily and she gasped, bucking again. "Ichigo…"

He felt her weight lift off of him and both her hands slide down his chest to the top of his pants, her tiny hands tugging at his waistband.

She was kissing him again, running her tongue along his lips. "Rukia-" he managed to get out. She bit his lower lip and tugged on his waistband again.

Taking the hint he leaned back and lifting his hips he slid his pants down as far as he could reach. Then he sat back up and kicked them off the rest of the way. He put both hands on her hips and kissed her again.

She was still raised up on her knees over him, one hand on his shoulder and the other the side of his face, she moved until she was straddling him. He felt her position herself and then slowly start to come down.

His breathing was erratic and matched hers. When he felt the slick warmth over him he tensed and he dug his fingers into her hips. He remembered to breath every once in awhile, he had no idea how hard his grip was on her hips, all he knew was that Rukia was liquid fire. He struggled with the urge to slam into her and take over. Instead he let her set the pace, but damn…it seemed like an eternity to him.

As she eased him into her, she let out a little gasp, "Ichigo…"

Then she began to move slowly and Ichigo with her. Rukia began to quicken her pace and Ichigo started to moan out her name. There were no more rational thoughts, only feelings that they were finally able to express to each other.

When Ichigo's head rocked back and his eyes closed, Rukia pulled him back to her and he opened his eyes to look at her. She was so beautiful. Her eyes were a deep blue he didn't think he had ever seen before, and they were devouring him. She was flushed and breathing hard, he could feel her heart racing in time with his own.

"Ichigo" she whispered to him. It was a feeling of completion that overwhelmed him, more than the physical pleasure. She had made him whole, finally.

He fell back to the bed and took Rukia with him. She kept her arms around his neck, her head on his chest and a leg draped over his.

After recovering enough that he could speak again, he asked her, "Rukia are you alright?"

He felt her nod against him, "It hurt a little at first, but-I'm just tired now."

He let out a long sigh, "Sorry." She hit him in his side playfully, "Don't be sorry idiot."

"Che, fine." He wrapped his arms around her, and forgetting about all of the problems they had facing them, felt exhaustion creep into him, "Night Rukia."

"Goodnight Ichigo."


	19. Chapter 19

I've been trying to update this fic for DAYS!?!?! So sorry it took me so long, but apparently my account was having some issues along with the others on Anyway-thanks to my fantastic reviewers: evilchik, andraq, blaznXrapture, KrazyCandy, Melitza, Mike Kromer, RedBloodedTalisman, notquitenewhere, Miffy-Chan, inu merc77, ShimmerSweet, David213 and Secluded Sapphire-I love you all sooo much. I'm all warm and fuzzy inside. So, yes-this fic is really not over, a lot of things still have to happen here. My semester is coming to a close in a few weeks-I have a break on exams for a bit, and I'll probably put off studying for finals until the last minute-which is good news because that means I'll update more!

Song is Pale by Within Temptation-Yes it will matter-some in a few chapters and some much later.

Chapter 19

Waking Up

The next morning Ichigo woke up feeling better than he had in years, more alive…and more content. There had been no nightmares last night and when he had first started to come awake, the normal empty feeling he usually had was gone. On top of that he had had a fantastic dream about Rukia.

"Wait a minute…" he sat up slowly and looked around his room. First realizing that he had no clothes on, and then the small indentation in the bed next to him. Memories of what happened yesterday flooded his mind. Had all of that really happened? The fight, Urahara's shop-and then he and Rukia?

"That wasn't a dream!" Casting a quick glance around the room, he noted that Rukia wasn't there.

_Did she leave again? Does she regret what happened so much that she had to leave without even telling me? Or is it that damn burn? Did it get so much worse she had to leave?_

Panic started to flow over him in waves as he jumped out of bed and threw on his sweats from last night. He burst out of his room and ran down the stairs, taking them three at a time.

Doing a quick search of downstairs only confirmed his worst fears; Rukia was gone.

"Dammit Rukia! I knew we should have talked….after what we did….dammit!" He muttered as he ran back upstairs to get dressed and go after her. How could he have been so stupid? They hadn't been ready for this…he couldn't believe he had just ruined everything-they're entire relationship could have just been ruined because he couldn't control his hormones…and now Rukia was gone again.

Ichigo tried to think of anywhere that Rukia may have run off to. Any place that she might have gone for time alone, time to think things over-she didn't know the city that well, surely she wouldn't have gone far. She couldn't have gone back to Soul Society right? There was no way she would stop working on her mission, so she still had to be here somewhere.

As he came to the top of the stairs he heard something that he hadn't before. There was water running in the bathroom.

Slowly, letting his hopes build up, he approached the closed door. Without thinking, he opened it and the sight he saw made his mouth go dry.

Rukia was taking a shower. Though the curtain only let him see her shadow, with what had happened last night, he had more than enough information to visualize her perfectly in his mind-well almost perfectly. She did have those damn bandages on.

He took a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. She was still here, she was safe and that meant she hadn't run off after thinking that they had made a mistake last night. That was a good sign that he hadn't completely screwed everything up, right?

Ichigo leaned against the doorframe, trying to calm his racing pulse, forcing the mental images he had of her running from him out of his mind. Feeling more in control he watched her and for a moment; he had a fleeting thought that he might join her, and then he heard her small soft voice, humming a melody he didn't know. It was quiet, but soon he could hear her words drifting to him.

_She's singing? I don't recognize that…she's…pretty good actually. No-she's excellent…How come I didn't know she could sing like that_?

So, instead of leaping into the shower, he quietly closed the door and leaned against it. He decided he'd listen to her sing, doubting he'd ever really get the chance to do so again. Her voice had an almost haunting sound to it. It was clear and sweet.

He watched her gently sway to the melody she created and lost himself in it with her. He closed his eyes and listened.

**I Know I Should Realize Time Is Precious**

**It Is Worth WhileDespite How I Feel Inside**

**Have to Trust It'll Be Alright**

**Have to Stand Up to Be Stronger**

**Have To TryTo Break Free**

**From the Thoughts in My Mind**

**Use the Time that I HaveI Can't Say Goodbye**

**Have to Make it Right**

**Have to Fight**

**Cause I Know In the End It's Worth While**

**That the Pain That I Feel Slowly Fades Away**

**It Will Be Alright**

**Oh, This Night Is Too Long**

**Have No Strength to Go On**

**No More Pain I'm Falling Away**

**Through the Mist See the FaceOf An Angel, Calls My Name**

**I Remember You're the Reason I Have to Stay**

**Have To TryTo Break Free**

**From the Thoughts in My Mind**

**Use the Time that I Have I Can't Say Goodbye**

**Have to Make it Right**

**Have to Fight**

**Cause I Know In the End It's Worth While**

**That the Pain That I Feel Slowly Fades Away**

**It Will Be Alright**

When Ichigo opened his eyes, he saw that Rukia was peering at him from behind the curtain.

"Ichigo? What are you doing?" she asked him, trying to sound harsh and blushing slightly.

"Oh…uh listening?" he said stepping forward. "I didn't know where you were when I woke up and-when I heard the water running I just wanted to make sure that…"

"That I was still here?" she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He focused on the floor when he answered, "Well-yeah." He heard her mutter a few insults like 'idiot' and 'moron'. He gave a shadow of a smile then. Everything was going to be alright-things hadn't changed, she was still his Rukia.

"Hey, how come I didn't know you could do that?" he asked her, trying to sound indifferent.

"Ichigo, it's not my fault you never asked-besides I sort of assumed you would know that I can. I mean, I'm in a functional gigai so why wouldn't I?"

"What?!" he yelled at her, resisting the urge to throw something at her. "Not that! I meant…you-you can sing Rukia."

"Oh, that-yeah I can, so can everyone else." She shrugged and started to turn away from him. She stopped when he continued.

"Not like that they can't, you really do have some talent for it. Hasn't anyone ever told you that before?"

She went back to her shower when she answered, "Usually I don't let people listen. Besides, it's not like it is down here. I don't do it much in Soul Society."

"Why? I mean…you obviously like to, so why not?"

He saw her pause for a moment before she continued, "Not much reason to I guess. We don't really have too much music there either."

"Oh. Well at least there isn't anything stopping you here." He said quietly, suddenly feeling awkward standing there while she was taking a shower, only a thin curtain separating them.

He heard her sigh, and saw her lift her hand up to the edge of the curtain, then pause for a moment before she pulled it back so she could look at him again. "God Ichigo, are you going to come in here or not?"

He nearly jumped when he realized what she was suggesting. "Wh-what?" he yelled again.

She flung the curtain back this time, allowing him to see her. He gaped at her. She was perfect. Last night had been shrouded in darkness, but this-well-she was perfect. Pale, smooth skin, slender legs that he remembered wrapped around him, her small waist he could span with one hand and her breasts were just the right size, with their pink tips. There was a faint scar in between them, barely visible, from yesterday.

His attention was drawn back to her face when she cleared her throat. He was slightly aggravated at the smug look she gave him, "I thought you might want to take a shower too. I mean, after yesterday…why not? We've…seen each other, and well-we probably won't get the chance to do this very often so-" She shifted her weight to her left leg and crossed her arms, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

Suddenly Ichigo realized something. "Hey…your arm." What he was staring at seemed impossible.

"Oh this?" she said smirking at him as she turned so he could see the mark on her. "It seems to be getting better."

It had shrunk- a lot. It was smaller now than the first time he had seen it, and faded to a light shade of red.

He moved to her, taking her arm and running the pad of his thumb over what was left of her burn. "Does it still hurt?" This was amazing. Yesterday he had been terrified of what was happening to her. There didn't seem to be anything that he could do to help her, but now…after last night it had finally started to heal. He noted how much more color had infused her today and felt the knot that had been in his stomach slowly start to unwind.

She looked up at him and shook her head. "No not really. It was like that when I woke up this morning."

"How…did that happen? The healing didn't work Rukia."

"Oh, I think it did." She said with a playful smile as she pulled him into the shower with her.

"Dammit Rukia! I've still got my sweats on!" Ichigo protested, while only partially trying to resist her.

"That's not my fault, I gave you plenty of time to take them off!" she yelled back at him.

Looking at her he thought he had to be insane to even try to resist. Here was Rukia-his Rukia- unclothed, with him in the shower. He had dreamed of this so many times, and now he was here with her, and she wanted him to be here. Even after last night, she still wanted him here.

Scoffing, Ichigo peeled his now soaked sweats off and threw them on the floor and pulled the curtain shut. "I hope you know you are cleaning that mess up." He said leaning in to kiss her.

"What mess?" she whispered back.

A little over an hour later they emerged from the shower, both extremely clean. Ichigo helped Rukia mop up the water off of the floor after they were both dressed.

Afterwards he proceeded to attempt to teach Rukia how to make a simple lunch. It wasn't supposed to be that hard-but she seemed to think if you just turned the heat up a little more-everything would get done so much faster. After burning the ramen twice, Ichigo took over completely and made her observe how to do it properly.

"You have to cook it at a temperature that won't burn it." He tried to explain patiently.

"It takes too long." She pouted, he sighed. Turning away from her and stirring the boiling noodles he made another attempt.

"But that makes it even better, ya know? The anticipation builds up and when you finally do get it, it's even better than what you thought it would be."

She socked him in the stomach, "I think you are getting me confused with the food Ichigo."

He blushed bright red and threw an empty, half-burnt box of pasta at her. "I could say the same thing!"

She dodged the projectile and answered with another sly grin, "Oh…so sure about that are you?"

He gaped at her and she saw his eye twitch before she burst out laughing at him. To which he responded by blushing even worse and turning back to their lunch, "Bitch."

Seeing that she may have actually hit a sore spot she did her best to stifle her laughter for the few minutes of silence that ensued.

Finally, he dished out the sodium-filled noodles and they sat down to eat. He was sitting next to her, doing his best to seem perfectly normal. But, he couldn't help watching her. How graceful she seemed, her smooth pale skin, the curve of her neck and her delicate pink lips…he turned his focus to his meal, mentally smacking himself. A few minutes later he started to wonder about something. Rukia was a lot older than he was. She was beautiful-he knew that other men admired her…attributes. Then of course there was Renji. Rukia and Renji did seem very close, almost too close for his liking. Frowning he turned to her.

"Hey Rukia?"

"Hmm?" she said around her mouthful of food.

"I was just wondering…I mean-I've never…how did I-uh…shit"

Realizing that he was trying to ask her something important she swallowed and gave him her full attention. She could see from the tell-tale scratching of his head that he was embarrassed about something-something to do with her. Seeing him avert his eyes from her and that the tips of his ears were red she guessed what he was asking about.

"How did you do?" she supplied.

He said nothing. She nodded, "Do you mean you couldn't tell that I enjoyed it?"

At this he looked up at her, "Well…I mean-I just wanted to make sure."

She hit him in the shoulder. "You can be such a moron sometimes." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, "Well, you should know that I may be biased, considering I have nothing to compare you to. I think you were-"

She was stopped by Ichigo's gagging sounds, followed by coughing. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye, "What?"

"What did you miss? The part where you're a moron or that I haven't ever been with anyone before you?" She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing. How was that even possible? She was beautiful, smart and funny-and then there was the whole Renji thing. He suppressed a sudden shudder and forced himself to focus on anything else but the image that popped into his mind.

"You haven't ever…?"

She shook her head.

"Wow…I guess that I just assumed that you had before."

"Well no I haven't. Is that all that you were worried about?"

He nodded and scratched the back of his head again. She gave him a small smile, "There isn't anything to be nervous about Ichigo, not with me."

He put his hand down and gave her a more serious look, "I know."

"Good."

They finished their lunch in silence, afterwards they decided they should get back to Urahara's shop to let them know about the burn starting to heal.


	20. Chapter 20

Wow this took me a long time to update, sorry about that. Thanks to my reviewers! 4 r0y MuStAnG, beep-bop-playa, David213, asherbcool, matt, Secluded Sapphire, xfb490, Mike, une merc77, exarnecross, Melitza, ShimmerSweet, andraq and blaznXrapture; you all rock! Anyway, this chapter is kinda fluffy and there should be more to come soon. Keep up the reviews please, you guys are my motivation to keep writing!

Chapter 20

Confessions

The walk to Urahara's was slow and fulfilling. Rukia kept touching him openly, trying to find little excuses all along the way. Like, stopping to adjust her shoe and using his arm to balance on.

Of course he was no better. He kept touching her arm or the small of her back to guide her through the throngs of people or to make sure she didn't take a wrong turn. It didn't matter that she could probably walk there in her sleep.

They would catch each other sneaking glances at one another; which prompted Rukia to break out in a smile and Ichigo even had a few small ones of his own, carefully hidden of course, and then he would try and replace it with a trademark scowl.

Watching Rukia, he realized that today she looked wonderful. Not that she didn't normally every other day-but today was different. Maybe it was just that she had nearly died yesterday. Or the fact that they were finally together; well as together as they could be. Of course, it could just be that he was finally allowing himself to really see her.

Her eyes were literally like blue flame today, he noted. They were full of playful mischief, amusement and happiness. That was what it was…she looked so alive today. She got extremely excited over small things, little things he took for granted every day. She always took the time to appreciate them fully whereas he rarely did.

He knew that as long as Rukia was with him, he wouldn't make that mistake again. Then, for a moment, he remembered part of what she had told him. 'No one can take it away'-that was what she said. Well she was right about that. No one would ever be able to take away what they had shared, but what he was worried about now was what they would be able to share in the future.

Well, he just wouldn't think about that right now. He couldn't think about it right now, there was too much going on for him to focus on something bad that could take it all away, right?

So, instead he started paying more attention to his surroundings, and Rukia of course. Then, he noticed something that really did put him in a bad mood. He wasn't the only one paying Rukia extra attention.

She was oblivious to it, she normally was, but-damn-couldn't these guys be a little more subtle about it?

Well, he couldn't really blame them, she was gorgeous today-who wouldn't notice something like that? But still, he felt he had good reason to be pissed off about it. So he started methodically glaring at anyone he caught looking at her in an 'overly-friendly' manner.

It seemed to be working out pretty well-at least until Rukia ran off ahead of him.

"Hey Rukia! Wait up dammit!" he called after her. He picked up his pace and started running once he lost sight of her.

_Damn…it wouldn't be so hard to keep track of her if she wasn't so short…_

When he caught up to her, he saw that she was leaning over, her face was plastered against a window of a…pet shop.

_Great, I bet they have rabbits in there. I'm gonna have to drag her away._

However, something else caught his eye as he approached her. There was a group of guys that were standing a little ways behind her, apparently enjoying the view they had of Rukia.

Acting on one of his baser instincts, he walked up to her, threw his arm around her and hauled her up against him.

"Let's go."

"But Ichi-" she started, pointing to something in the shop.

"Now." Seeing that his brows were knitted closer than usual, his grip on her arm was harder than needed and the tone in his voice were all warning indicators, Rukia decided she could appease him for now at least. So she shut up and went with him, waiting to ask what had happened to put him in such a pissed off mood.

After they went about a block she turned to him, "What the hell was that about?"

He didn't look at her when he answered, "I didn't like how they were looking at you-that's all."

Giving him a confused look, she asked, "Who?"

He sighed, louder than necessary and answered "Those guys, they were standing behind you."

"Ichigo, don't be ridiculous, people are going to look at me. People look at you too." She said, completely bewildered why that would anger him. Relaxing his arm around her shoulders he tried not to sigh again, but he was strangely reassured that she hadn't had any idea what was going on.

"Not like that Rukia."

"What?" she asked, then another grin appeared, "Oh…I get it. You're jealous!"

He didn't look at her when he barked out his denial, "I am not, I just didn't like it."

She stopped walking and poked him in the side, "You are!"

Stopping a step ahead of her he pulled his arm back and crossed them over his chest, "No I'm not."

She let out a little, chiding laugh, "Oh yes you are!"

"You have no idea what you are talking about Rukia, just drop it!" he yelled back at her, leaning down to her level.

She took a step towards him and shouted up to his face, "I know what I'm talking about Ichigo, and I'll drop it once you admit you were jealous!"

"Che, fine whatever!" he said, turning away from her to continue on their trek.

She caught him easily and after a few more steps of silence, "I don't really mind Ichigo." It had been so quiet he almost thought he had imagined it.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, but kept walking. "More than anything, I find it interesting. I don't think anyone has ever been jealous because of me before."

Before he could stop himself he had muttered "Right sure, I think you are forgetting about Renji."

That made her stop, "What?"

_Oh shit…shouldn't have said that. Damn!_

"Nothing, let's just go." He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist to pull her along after him.

"You think Renji is jealous because of me?" she said in a startled voice.

Exasperated he turned around to face her, "Forget it Rukia, can we just go?"

She walked back up to him, this time taking his arm and putting it over her shoulders. This shocked Ichigo and he looked down to see her eyes staring back at him.

"I have no idea why you would feel jealousy over me Ichigo, because you don't need to. I don't know what you think about Renji, but he was my closest friend for a long time." Ichigo felt like a complete idiot for even bringing it up, but the fact was that he knew how Renji felt, even if Rukia didn't. What mattered though, was how Rukia felt and hearing her say that he didn't need to be jealous did calm him down, if only a little.

He gave her an arrogant grin, "Of course I don't need to be jealous, I know that moron. But if I beat the shit out of someone, for _any_ reason, it just means that I felt like it."

They started walking again, this time not coming up with excuses to touch each other.

When they finally managed to get to Urahara's shop, Rukia shrugged her shoulders and Ichigo dropped his arm off of her.

They walked in and Rukia nearly fell over from Hana's embrace.

"Rukia, you're alright! What happened? I didn't think we made any progress yesterday!"

Rukia's smile to Hana mirrored his own, Hana was clearly very relieved to see Rukia doing so well. However, when Hana asked her what had happened, her smile faltered for a moment before recovering. She cast a worried glance at Ichigo before she looked back at Hana to answer him.

"Um…I'm not sure what happened Hana-all I know is that I feel a lot better today and the mark is practically gone."

"Really? Let me have a look at it, come with me." He said and led her into the same room he had used yesterday.

Realizing Hana was only doing this for privacy reasons on Rukia's behalf, Ichigo thought it wouldn't look good if he walked in behind her. So he sat down near the door and waited, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt unconsciously.

It wasn't long before Urahara showed up, "I assume she is much better today?"

"Yeah she is. Wait…how did you know?" Ichigo asked with narrowed eyes as he started to stand.

Urahara only chuckled as he walked away and said, "I didn't think traditional methods of healing would work. Glad you found one that did though!"

Ichigo's face immediately burst into color as he jumped to his feet. "What? Urahara-what the hell?" Ichigo asked after him, but he wouldn't get an answer.

_Could he have planned for us to be together? Did he know that would heal Rukia?_

A few minutes later a beaming Hana came out of the room led by Rukia.

"It really is much better today, whatever you are doing to heal it, keep doing it." He said in a cheerful tone. He completely missed the blushes that suffused both of Rukia and Ichigo's faces.

Ichigo moved to Rukia's side. "Will you be going back to Soul Society now Hana?"

He nodded, "Yes, the only reason I came here was to make sure that wound was taken care of. Since it's fading there really isn't a reason for me to stay any longer. I need to report back to my Captain anyway, so I'll be leaving soon."

Rukia thanked him again, making Hana overly embarrassed. "Really, I didn't do anything." He defended.

Rukia shook her head and gave him a sweet smile. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes when she answered. "Hana, you came here for me, so thank you. Please, accept my thanks for what you've done, you have earned it."

Finally, Hana nodded shyly and whispered back, "You're welcome."

Ichigo was amazed of the effect Rukia had on Hana. It was easy for anyone to see that Hana admired Rukia, but that he felt as though he wasn't able to help her. With a few simple words from Rukia that had all seemed to disappear. He cleared his throat, "We'd better get going then, Rukia."

The two thanked everyone again for their help, promised to let them know if anything else happened and left.

When they were a safe distance from the shop, Rukia linked her arm through Ichigo's and said, "I thought I heard Urahara."

Ichigo nodded in response, "You did, he came and asked me how you were doing…"

"Okay, so why is that bad?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, you're frowning, so what did he say?"

"I…I think he knows about us Rukia. Not only that, I think he actually set me up."

"What?" she asked him "How could he know?"

"Well, what he said today…he said that he 'hadn't thought traditional methods of healing would work, and he was glad that I found one that did'…then yesterday-I think he actually planned it out so that I would bring you back to my house alone."

Rukia blushed, "Oh…this could be bad Ichigo."

He scratched his head again, "Well…yeah. I mean, I kinda figured we'd need to keep this quiet for obvious reasons-"

Rukia pulled away from Ichigo and stood in front of him. There was a note of urgency in her voice when she started her explanation. "No Ichigo, you don't understand! If my brother finds out…he may kill you…and then me. Relationships in noble families have to have agreements set out…I should have actually had to get my brother's permission before…"

Ichigo's eyes widened at the prospect of having to fight Byakuya again, especially after what had happened with Rukia. He pulled her closer to his side as if trying to protect her from an unseen force.

"You…aren't serious, tell me you aren't serious!"

"Yes I am Ichigo. Let's just hope that Urahara can keep quiet."

That however, obviously wasn't enough for Ichigo. He didn't want to have to fight Byakuya again, especially not now. However, the worst part of this whole situation was that he could force Rukia to return to Soul Society. The image of Rukia walking away from him in the rain, and he being unable to stop her flashed through his mind. There was no way in hell he would let that happen again.

His grip around her waist had tightened, and she was pressed against his chest so that she couldn't see his face. She thought for a moment, she may have even heard him growl.

In a nearly strangled voice Ichigo answered, "I'm not letting that happen again…I can't."

Sensing how distressed he was, Rukia's first instinct was to try and soothe him, "Ichigo, it will be alright. I'm almost certain that my brother won't find out." She wrapped one arm around him and used her other hand to stroke his forearm up and down slowly.

His fingers were digging into her now, almost like he thought she would disappear right in front of him. When she heard his voice again, she realized this wasn't just about fighting her brother. Ichigo's voice had taken on a dangerous note to it, like he was speaking to someone who wasn't there. "That's not good enough dammit!"

Rukia strained against his arms so that she could look up and see his face. He was much easier to read if she could see his face. But, he wasn't looking at her. "Ichigo, look at me."

He didn't move, so she turned his head so that he was looking down at her. "Ichigo, what is this about? Why are you acting like this?"

His eyes seemed clouded for a moment, but when she said his name, some clarity come through. "This is about you going back… to Soul Society."

One of her eyebrows shot up at this-a silent request for elaboration. Ichigo sighed, he really didn't want to get into this. "I mean…I know that it is your world, but you have a place here too. I just- when you mentioned your brother… and having to have an agreement between nobles…" He had steadily gotten quieter and his grip had lessened.

Rukia smirked at him, she knew how to calm him down now. "Well, if it bothers you so much, why don't you just get his permission?"

Ichigo looked at her for a moment, then blinked a few times, as if trying to decide he had really just heard her. "Ask Byakuya for permission? You HAVE to be joking!"

Rukia kept a straight face, "No, I'm not. If you are really worried about it that much, why not just ask him?"

He opened his mouth to retort, but then stopped, closed it and gave her his best arrogant grin, the same one he used when he fought Hollows. He knew what this was-and it had worked. Now it was time to turn the tables. "Maybe I will."

Now it was Rukia's turn, "Ichi-" but then, she stepped back from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Good, it's settled then."

She turned to start walking again, but Ichigo pulled her back to him. "Yeah, it's settled."

_I won't let you walk away again Rukia. _

He leaned down to her level and kissed her. Rukia was shocked at first, but soon found her arms around his neck, responding to him. They had the day to themselves after all, so it wouldn't matter if it took them awhile to get home.

As the two were lost in each other, they didn't notice that someone else had spotted them. They had no idea that he had seen how possessive Ichigo was over Rukia, or the look in her eyes when she was looking back at him…


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Kariya Jin made his way to his home in a rage. He was furious, more furious than he could ever remember being in his life. That damn Kurosaki had his hands all over her! How dare that bastard even _think_ of trying to take what is his! When he had first seen the two walking together, he hadn't thought much of it and had even started to approach them. After all, the little bitch had dared to defy him again and he was sure that her will had to be growing weaker by the second.

But then he had seen Rukia's face as she turned to Ichigo. That look in her eyes…he knew what it was. He cursed himself for a fool. How could he have been so blind? Now he understood why Rukia had stood him up. He had competition now. Maybe he always had and just now realized it. Well, no matter, he could deal with that. After all, she did have his mark on her. All he needed to do was reinforce it a little and she would be his again.

He suppressed a laugh at imagining the look on Kurosaki's face when he would see Rukia with him. He practically shivered with anticipation when he imagined how it would feel to obtain Rukia, and then crush her.

When Ichigo and Rukia finally returned, they were startled to see that Ichigo's family had returned. Rukia managed to escape unseen while Ichigo drew some attention to himself by screaming at his father.

It was nearly two hours later that he finally managed to make it upstairs. Rukia was lounging on his bed reading a manga, but looked up as soon as he opened the door. He had been kind enough to bring her up a share of dinner that he set on his desk. However, Rukia ignored the meal he had brought up, at least for the moment, and went to Ichigo.

Her small form pressed against his own he wrapped his arms around her and was reminded, not for the first time that day, that she was small and fragile-but then again she was strong. He almost chuckled at himself. His thoughts were even more open, now that they both knew how the other felt. It really was amazing how much had changed. For example, today was the first time he had bought Rukia any kind of jewelry. He never would have dreamed of doing something so obvious before. After all, he had been trying to keep his feelings for her hidden from everyone, including himself.

Earlier that day, they had been at the shopping mall, and she had been distracted by a young girl getting her ears pierced for the first time at a jewelry shop. Engrossed right away, she had run over to watch. It had actually turned out for the better in that Rukia had completely distracted the child enough, with all of her questions, that she hadn't even flinched when the gun pierced her. She had been so infatuated with the entire process that Ichigo gave up on dragging her away and started looking around the place.

For the most part, everything that they had was something for little girls. He found plenty of things that his sisters might like, but he had suddenly realized he had never seen Rukia wear any piece of jewelry like this. That thought lead to the next, where he decided he wanted to give her something…something that she could remember him by, remember what they had together.

With that determination, he set out to search the store for the perfect piece of jewelry for Rukia. His first thought, of course, was of her beloved Chappy. If he could find something that had a rabbit on it…she'd love it. Unfortunately, most of the things that had rabbits on them were obviously made for younger girls, and had charms that dangled off of the chain. Not something she'd want to wear while fighting a Hollow since that could easily get in the way. His next thought was of butterflies. But as he thought about it, he realized that he wasn't even really sure if she liked butterflies at all.

He was about to give up and go back over to where she was questioning the kid, but then something caught his eye. It was a necklace with a silver chain and a small figure hung from it. The small figure was of an angel that had it's wings spread open as if it was in flight. The chain attached to each wing so it didn't dangle like the other charms, and it was simple but…elegant. Soul Society was basically heaven right? So, in a round about sort of way…Rukia was much like an angel; except for the occasional beating she gave him.

He snuck a quick glance behind him to make sure she wasn't watching as he took it to the counter and paid for it. The cashier placed it in a box for him and he crammed it into his pocket and went back over to Rukia. She hadn't even noticed he'd left, which was perfect.

Once Rukia started to talk about getting her ears pierced, Ichigo literally drug her away from the shop. The thought of Byakuya's reaction to that popped into his mind and he suppressed an involuntary shudder. Instead he took her to the food court and they had a nice lunch together. He got her a milkshake, and was again amazed by how excited she was over such a small thing.

After eating, Rukia had received orders of a Hollow and they had made their way to it. Three other Hollows appeared after the first. They were all relatively weak Hollows, so the fights didn't take long.

After they had finished, and Ichigo had gotten back into his body they decided it was time to get back to Ichigo's house since it would be getting dark soon. As it turned out, it had been a good idea to come back when they had, since his family had all returned.

When he remembered the necklace he had gotten for her, he pulled back and tilted her chin up so she could see him properly. He wanted this to make a deep impression on her after all.

"Hey, I have something for you." He said simply and held the small box out for her.

The moment he said it, her face lit up and he saw the corners of her mouth lift up with the beginnings of her smile. She lifted a brow as she reached for it, "What is it?"

"What's the point in surprising you if I spoil it and tell you now? Would you just open it and see?" he said in a gruff tone, and he started to wonder if this had been a good idea after all. What if she didn't like it? What if she thought he was making some stupid joke about her home?

As Rukia opened the lid, and she saw the necklace, her face remained blank. She lifted it out and fingered the angel.

When she still didn't give him a reaction, Ichigo started to panic. "If-if you don't like it…I can take it back. I mean-it's nothing really. I just thought that you…you might-"

But he was cut off when Rukia lifted herself up and kissed him, rather thoroughly. When she pulled back, and he had regained himself enough to understand speech again, he heard her, "This…it's beautiful-it's perfect. Thank you Ichigo. I've never had anything like this."

He was smiling before he could stop himself. "So you like it then?"

She hit him in the stomach-lighter than she normally would, "Of course I do you idiot."

She turned around and held up her hair, and held the necklace up to him with her other hand. "Will you put it on for me?"

Without answering he took the necklace from her and pulled it around her neck, he forced himself to focus on latching it instead of the way her neck curved into her shoulders. Once Rukia felt him let of chain she whirled around to face him.

"Can I ask you something?" Ichigo nodded, admiring how the necklace hung just at the base of her throat.

"Why an angel?"

His eyes snapped up to meet her intent gaze. "Well, angels…they represent being saved. The way that I see it…you saved me and my family. Then, I came after you, so that I could save you in return. This way, you will always have that, to remember."

Ichigo hadn't been at all prepared for Rukia's 'attack' and because of this, when she launched herself at him, he lost his balance and they both ended up on the floor, with Rukia on top. She straddled him, leaned over and proceeded to kiss him so fiercely he completely forgot where they were.

All that mattered at that moment was Rukia, and the feel of her soft skin against his own. The last coherent thought he remembered having was that they were starting to make a habit out of this, and he only hoped opportunities like these continued to present themselves.

Much later, Rukia sat on Ichigo's bed in her pajama's eating a very cold (but still delicious) meal. Ichigo was working furiously to make sure that his homework was completed. It was a perfectly normal and wonderfully peaceful night for both of them. One of the nights that they could simply take comfort in the other's presence without any need of conversation.

When Ichigo finally decided that it was time to get some sleep, he was only mildly shocked to see Rukia already curled up under the covers in his bed. He smiled, turned out the light and climbed in next to her. As soon as she felt his presence next to her, she instinctively rolled over and threw an arm over his chest and hooked a small slender leg over his. He inched in closer so that she could lay her head on his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

_Yeah, I could get used to this_

The next morning Rukia woke him up by jumping out of the bed and making a dash for his closet. At first, he didn't understand why until he heard his door crash open and his father's foot dangerously close to his face. Dodging, he grabbed his leg and used his momentum to throw his father into the wall.

"Are you ever going to stop doing that?" he muttered to no one in particular.

He was answered by ravings about how much like his father he was. Grunting he started to dress and then made his way downstairs for breakfast.

When he came back upstairs to bring Rukia a piece of toast, he was surprised to see she had already left. He had assumed that they would be walking together. It had been…relaxing yesterday. Even more surprising was that he had been looking forward to it. Letting out a quiet sigh, he started in on the toast and his walk to school.

As he came up to the building, he began scanning the swarm of students for Rukia, but was unable to find her. He could feel her energy, so he knew she had to be close. Continuing his search, he followed the trail of her spirit force to the far side of the school.

That was when he saw her, huddled up next to Kariya Jin, who had his arm draped over her and was talking with some of his friends. Rukia was giving him her undivided attention, her face turned up to focus on him. She had an arm around his waist…

The first thing Ichigo felt was pure shock. What the hell was she doing with that fucking bastard? Was he forcing her to do his will again? Then reality hit him and he realized she still had a job to do, and that was exactly what she was doing.

He balled his hands into fists at his sides to try and stop them from shaking. He knew she was only acting, only acting so she could accomplish a goal. This didn't mean anything right? It's not like she enjoyed it or anything…so this shouldn't affect him at all.

_If that was true…if this doesn't mean anything, then why can I barely stop myself from charging over there and killing that damn bastard for touching her? Why do I feel so betrayed even though I know Rukia is acting? Dammit! Why does she have to do this? Why didn't she at least warn me? _

He knew he shouldn't watch if he was having this big of a problem with it, but he couldn't stop himself. No matter how hard he tried to turn away or walk into class, he stood there watching Kiraya and Rukia together. From somewhere he heard a bell ringing that class was about to start, but he couldn't will himself to go.

Kiraya and Rukia heard though because the next thing he knew, Kiraya was leaning down to Rukia's level, and she turned so her back was facing Ichigo. In those few seconds, Ichigo realized two things. One was that watching Kiraya kiss Rukia was extremely frustrating, and two is that watching Rukia kiss him back was more painful than any of the fights he's ever had to go through.

It seemed like it was an eternity that she had one hand on his shoulder and the other around his waist with her head tilted to the side. It could have only been a few seconds, but it seemed like much longer to him. It was like every aspect of that kiss was burned into his memory; he knew it was an image he would never be able to forget.

When they broke apart, Kiraya smiled at her and gave a quick wave before he left.

As soon as Kiraya was around the corner, he watched Rukia turn around and lock onto him immediately. She wasn't surprised to see him-not at all. She had known he was there the entire time, and she still went through with it. Somehow, he had been hoping she hadn't known.

Once she saw him, she started walking to him, unconsciously fingering the necklace he had just given her last night.

Ichigo was pretty furious at this point. After everything that they had shared this was what she did? Hadn't any of it meant anything to her?

She stopped when she was two steps away from him, well within his reach. "Ichigo…" she started in quietly. "I…"

He cut her off in a gruff tone, "Stop it. You don't have to explain anything to me, you don't owe me anything. Duty first, isn't that right…Rukia?" His voice had turned mocking in the end, nearly making her flinch away from him.

She took another step forward and started to reach a hand out to him. "Ichigo…it's not-I mean…I have to…"

Ichigo took another step back away from her and shook his head. "I said stop Rukia! You don't owe me an explanation….I should have known…"

She pulled her hand away from him like she'd been burned, "Should have known? What exactly should you have known Ichigo?"

He scoffed at her, and turned his head to the side, "I should have known about you Rukia…what's really important to you" he turned back to face her then, "and what's not."

Her eyes opened wide showing her shock, her hand frozen over her throat. She looked off to the side for a moment letting her hand drop down to her side and then whispered, "I see." before she ran into the school.

Ichigo watched her retreating form go into the school, but couldn't seem to make himself go after her. He was too busy berating himself for saying anything like that to her. Of course she had to continue…what the hell was he thinking?

Finally brining himself to go into his class, planning on apologizing, he sought her out right away. She turned her back to him and completely ignored him, making sure that he couldn't see her face. He had really managed to piss her off this time. The rest of the day Ichigo tried to get a chance to talk with Rukia, but she continued to avoid him at all costs.

Finally after school was finished for the day, he caught up with her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him. She wouldn't look at him.

"Rukia…I-"

"Don't say anything Ichigo. I know why you reacted the way you did. I expected it." Her voice was soft and soothing, it was already relaxing him.

He let go of her then and swung his bag up over his shoulder, "Well…that's good then. We'd better get going." And he started to walk towards his house.

"No I can't Ichigo. I have…to go and meet him. I won't be back until later tonight."

He froze hearing her words. That's right, she had to pretend. "Oh, right."

He heard her turn and take two steps before her voice reached him again, "I-I won't go as far as I was once willing to anymore, Ichigo. You should know that."

Ichigo felt an immeasurable amount of relief at hearing her actually say that. He had already known she wouldn't, but still, it appeared that he needed to hear it. "I know. I'll see you when you get back."

"Yeah, thanks."

Without either one turning around to see the other, Rukia and Ichigo both started walking, the upcoming possibilities of the evening weighing heavily on their minds.


	22. Chapter 22

So…please don't kill me. Bad things are coming up, maybe not in this chapter-but they're coming. Sorry for those that thought I had posted a chapter recently-I was correcting a few mistakes in it. Anyway-I'll stop blabbering and let you all read. More author note at the end!

Chapter 22

The way home was peaceful and quiet. He made much better time than he had in months. There was no stopping to talk with friends, no stopping for some sort of sugary confection and there were no Hollows. It was everything he used to have on his way home.

_And how I hate it. _

Not more than five minutes had passed since he had seen Rukia, and yet all he could think about was her. He'd already had to stop himself from turning to the side to talk to her twice.

The fact is that she wasn't there…with him. Rukia was off somewhere masquerading as the newest love interest for Kariya Jin-a bastard that Ichigo already had issues with before.

His hand was cramping and he realized he had had it clenched, rather tightly, for some time now. He had to focus to ease his muscles back into a resting state.

_This is ridiculous. How can I be so angry? She's only doing what she has to do…I've just got to deal with it. _

He was only a few blocks away from home now when he heard the distinctive screaming of a Hollow. It had to be close. Shifting his bag to his other shoulder, he took off in the direction of the sound. This was exactly what he needed to vent a few frustrations.

Rukia had slowly made her way to the small shop to meet Kariya. Replaying the last conversation she had with Ichigo, she couldn't help but see the way his face fell when she told him she was going back to Kariya.

She tried to force it out of her mind. It wouldn't help her with what she was about to do. But no matter what she did, she just couldn't get the image of him standing there, waiting for her to come to him. He just expected it- it was so natural for her to be with him that he hadn't even thought she wouldn't come with him. That thought alone made her want to turn around and run to catch him.

But she couldn't do that. She had work to do. She was a Kuchiki-she could do it. The feelings that she was having were useless to her right now. She had to force them from her mind so that she could focus on the task at hand.

She sighed, it just wasn't working, and before she knew it she was walking up to the table Kariya was seated at.

She didn't say anything, she just walked up to him. He however, was playing the perfect gentleman. He stood up right away, gave her a quick kiss and pulled a chair out for her.

She sat down, giving him a partial smile.

"I'm glad that you could make it Rukia," He had a strange look on his face and Rukia had to stop herself from bolting. "I was afraid we would have a repeat performance of last week."

She narrowed her eyes in response, but only for a moment. She had to be careful about this now, he was obviously still upset about her standing him up. Rukia knew it was going to happen, but had still been hoping that by some off chance he might not bring it up…so she quietly asked, "Performance?"

Kariya noticed the flare in her eyes, even if it was only there and gone in an instant, he smiled. That was one of the things he loved about Rukia. She could seem so innocent in one instant, but the next she was suspicious of him. He knew she had been with Kurosaki, but wanted to see if she would admit to it. He had to discern how much he could trust her after all.

He nodded, "Yeah, you missed our rendezvous on Friday, or did you forget already?" He leaned back, trying to appear nonchalant as he watched her reaction.

Rukia focused her attention on the tabletop. He was acting like he knew something-but what could he know? Remembering all that had happened that day she couldn't stop Ichigo from coming to mind, not that he had ever been far away. Reminiscing over the things that they had exchanged, and how that had changed their relationship, she felt herself start to blush.

"I'm sorry Kariya, but…something came up with a…friend of mine. They needed help and I couldn't turn them away."

His eyebrows shot up at the word 'friend'. "Are you sure it was only a friend Rukia?"

Something in his voice made her look back up at him. She locked eyes with him and slowly nodded.

He leaned in closer to her. "If it was really just a friend, then I have nothing to worry about. But, on the other hand, if it is more than a friend…I might have to take certain precautionary measures."

Rukia's eyes widened for a moment before she caught herself. She recognized this- it was the same sort of reaction Ichigo had when he got jealous. Well, as long as she knew what it was, then she could use it. She threw on a smile and lifted an eyebrow, deciding to play along. "Precautionary measures? What for?"

He leaned in closer to her; he was halfway across the table when he answered her, "To protect what's mine."

She didn't even have to pretend to be shocked. "So I'm yours now, am I?"

He nodded back in response, clearly enjoying their exchange. "I'm glad you've come to see things my way."

This time Rukia came forward to rest her elbows on the table. She made sure to keep eye contact. "Well then, I guess you have nothing to worry about…Jin."

A corner of his mouth lifted at hearing his name. "You may have to prove that to me Rukia."

For a moment, she thought she might run away from him, but then she remembered her brother and how he was finally counting on her. "I think I can handle that" and she moved closer to him and kissed him. She tried to put as much force behind the kiss as she could-like she was able to with Ichigo…if she just imagined that it was him it would work…

It didn't work. It wasn't the same. When she kissed Ichigo, it was like she could touch his soul-in that one gesture, she could feel how he felt about her so strongly it felt like she was drowning in it. Her heart would race, her lips would tingle and wherever he touched her it felt like she had been struck by lightning.

This was not the same. Kariya was cold and unfeeling- not warm like Ichigo. He didn't know when to push and when to give- he was all force. When Rukia broke away and leaned back she idly wondered if her lips would bruise.

Kariya on the other hand, was very happy with the outcome. After that kiss, he was sure that Rukia was willing to do almost anything for him. That would be even better.

"I can forgive your slight, but only if you promise to make it up to me."

She wasn't sure that she liked the sound of that- but really- what choice did she have at this point?

"I promise."

"Good, then it's settled- we'll go to dinner on Friday night and then back to my place."

Rukia was in the process of pulling a book out of her bag when she froze. He didn't just say that…did he? "Your place?"

He gave her a smile-an honest one, which only made matters worse. "Yeah, you can stay with me on Friday."

This was not part of the plan. Ichigo wasn't going to handle this well-not at all. She had to come up with a plausible excuse to get herself out of this.

"I- well I…"

"Rukia, do I need to remind you what you just promised?"

Yep, Ichigo was going to kill her.

"No you don't need to remind me but-"

"Good, I'll make the reservations. You should wear something nice."

She almost frowned at him, but knew that wouldn't go over well. So instead she answered "Of course I will" In her meekest voice.

Most of the remaining conversation was spent on him trying to find out more about her. She lied…a lot. She told him she was an only child whose parents didn't really care what she did…as long as she kept her grades up.

Kariya volunteered that he lived on his own now- a fact he really liked to gloat on.

He asked what she liked to do for fun-she said reading and he laughed at her. She got angry enough with him that she kicked his shin without thinking.

He jerked at that, but then smiled. This was exactly why he had so much interest in Rukia. He knew she wasn't what she appeared to be- she had a lot of spirit. It intrigued him to no end.

He watched her lean down and then toss something to him. He caught it easily and when he realized what it was-he couldn't believe it. "You read manga? Are you kidding me?"

She shook her head and he laughed at the look on her face, and he laughed even harder when he heard an indignant '_what_?' come from her.

"I just can't believe that you-of all people- would read those things!" He managed to choke out before he burst into laughter again. This of course, earned him another kick from Rukia.

"Why wouldn't I read them, they're more entertaining than anything else I've found!"

Ichigo might make fun of her for reading them too…but his was different. This wasn't Ichigo. She snatched the volume back, stuffed it into her bag and pulled out some of the homework she had been assigned. Deciding math would be best to start with, she slammed the book down on the table.

"Oh, Rukia is upset with me…whatever should I do?" she heard the mocking voice across the table from her ask. Without looking up she threw back, "I have no idea, but I guess you'll just have to make it up to me."

Then she heard him chuckle- it was a harsh raspy sound she hoped she'd never have to hear again. "I think I know just what you'd like. Now, don't go anywhere while I'm gone." He chided her.

Mimicking his sarcastic undertones she muttered "I wouldn't dream of it."

It was a little over 20 minutes before he came back. He sat a bag down in front of her and took his seat. Eyeing the bag first and then Kariya, Rukia began to feel uneasy.

"Don't just sit there, open it."

Slowly she parted the opening and reached inside. She felt something very soft and silky; curiosity won out and she pulled the object out. It as a deep burgundy gown. As she held it up to inspect it, she saw it was floor length, with spaghetti straps, a slit up to mid thigh and a very low back.

"What's this…?"

When she looked back up at him she thought he was only mildly annoyed. "It's what you're going to be wearing Friday night."

Instantly, the gift Ichigo had just given her came to mind. She hadn't taken it off, and wasn't planning to. It was almost betrayal just to wear it…but right after he had given her something so important to her?

"I can't accept this-I'm sorry."

She had just put the dress back inside of the bag when Kariya started in on her. "What do you mean you can't accept it? I got this for you Rukia. I want to see you wearing something that I got for you."

The only thing that Rukia could think of was what Ichigo would think if he knew she wore something Kariya got for her. She knew this was hard for him, it was hard for her too-so how could she put them both through this?

She moved farther away from him, pressing into the back of her seat, but she wasn't fast enough as he latched onto her wrist and squeezed. Rukia instantly reacted-trying to pull away from him, "Let go of me."

But he wasn't really listening to her. He was too busy watching the emotions flit across her face-shock, pain anger and fear were all there. Those big gorgeous eyes of hers were so easy to read. He let himself burn her again. He'd been waiting for an excuse for prolonged contact with her. More than anything at this moment, he wanted to dominate her. This mark would work much better than the last.

Rukia was in a panic. He was strong; stronger than he should have been. She couldn't get out of his grasp. He's only a human…I should be able to get away from him…right? She focused on the fact that she wasn't supposed to be able to get away or put up a fight. She should be innocent and weak. So she tried to think of something to do- anything that might not anger him. A normal girl would probably…what? Cry? Beg?

"Stop it, you're hurting me!" She said in a quiet but pleading voice.

That didn't work, he only added more pressure. That reddish color was back in his eyes again and she couldn't seem to look away. In that instant, she thought he meant to crush her wrist, and realized she wouldn't be able to stop him if he tried. But then she felt it. That same burning pressure that had been on her shoulder before. She knew what he was doing. He must have realized his first mark wasn't working anymore. Now he was making a new one, and it was already causing a fair amount of pain.

"I want you to take this and wear it Rukia. You aren't going to defy me again, are you?"

His tone was menacing and no matter how she tried to deny it, she felt a strong urge to do whatever Kariya wanted. Fear started to rise in her throat like bile while images flashed in her mind. If he could do this to her again so soon after burning her…how could she stop herself? How could she keep control?

One face came to mind and she hung onto it with all her strength. Ichigo's voice rumbled through her thoughts and the feel of him filled her senses. He was her safety net, she could always rely on him to be there just when she needed him. With her free hand, she reached up to the base of her throat, where her gift lay and held it in her hand. Just knowing that he was waiting for her, that he cared for her, seemed to fill her with enough strength to resist Kariya.

However, she knew she couldn't let Kariya know that. He had to believe he had the upper hand-that she was weak. He was smiling at her, waiting for her answer.

"I could never defy you Jin, I'll do whatever you'd like."

She felt the blood in her veins turn to ice as he turned her hand palm up and kissed her wrist, "I didn't think you could."

Well, I hope that you guys liked it! Again, I'm really sorry that it took me so long to update. I do have a present for you though-there is a fantastic story out by RadiantBeam called 'What Goes Down Must Come Up'. It's fantastic! You should all read it-it's a great IchiRuki fic in progress. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. I read all my reviews and I appreciate them very much. See you all next chapter!


	23. Chapter 23

Alright, new chapter! In this chapter we see some foreshadowing and Ichigo's feelings are addressed. We'll have at least one more chapter building up, and then some things are going to happen pretty quickly. At least, that's what I have planned atm. Again, thanks to all my reviewers-you guys are what got this chapter written and posted! I thrive on reviews :D Anyway, hope you enjoy the IchiRukiness of this chapter!

Chapter 23

Ichigo returned home that night well after dinner. He couldn't seem to face his room without Rukia in it. He didn't want to face that reality anymore than he already had. So he stayed out-mostly in Death God form. He had been practicing sensing Hollows on his own and had recently come to the conclusion that he would never be able to do it. Not without someone to teach him.

Earlier in the day, he had taken down another Hollow and performed a soul burial that any other shinigami could be proud of. He wished Rukia had been there to see it.

He was sitting in his room, staring at his pile of homework completely lost in thought. He felt like he wanted to hit something…well, not something but someone and couldn't. Fighting had helped while he was doing it, but now, there weren't any Hollows. It seemed like his memory was burned with the image of Rukia in Kariya's arms. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back.

This was getting him nowhere. It was too much. He had to find a solution or he would drive himself crazy with imaginings of what Rukia and Kariya were doing. He knew Rukia had no other choice but to do this. It was her mission and a lot of people were counting on her.

No, there wasn't a way that he could stop this. There wasn't a way he could protect her from it either. This was something Rukia had to do for many reasons. He'd just have to deal with it and have faith in her.

Turning his attention back to his homework he began his attack and pushed all other thoughts from his mind. A few hours later his work was done and Rukia still wasn't home. He took a shower, a long one for him. When he was inside his room, one glance told him she wasn't there.

He laid down in the bed and tried to get to sleep, but it just wasn't possible. Not without Rukia curled up next to him. If it were any other time he might laugh at himself. Ichigo didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was starting to realize how much he depended on Rukia. He was staring intently at the ceiling contemplating this when he heard her come in through his window.

She didn't say anything as she changed for bed. She didn't say anything when she climbed into bed with him, and she didn't say anything when she started to kiss him.

But Ichigo understood what she was telling him. She wanted to reassure him in the only way she knew how-the only way she could. He was the one she wanted to be with, he was the one she came home to; but her mission still wasn't done.

He knew that tomorrow she would have to go through the same thing and he would have to watch and pretend it didn't bother him.

That night he took her with an almost animal ferocity and Rukia let him. She wanted to make sure Ichigo knew that it was him in her thoughts and no one else. If that meant he had to mark his territory then so be it; she really didn't mind anyway.

Afterwards Rukia went into the same position she normally did, with one arm across his chest, her head on his shoulder and a leg draped over both of his. Ichigo kept his arms around her and rested his chin on the crown of her head.

It wasn't long before he found himself in the arms of morpheus, only it wasn't peaceful. His dreams were filled with images of Rukia, which normally wouldn't be a problem, however tonight it was.

He could never make out anyone or anything else besides Rukia. She was always looking at him and had varying expressions on her face. Shock, panic and fear-the one he hated most was pain.

He saw her standing with someone behind her, they were holding her with one arm around her throat, the other around her waist, saying something to her. Rukia's eyes were locked onto him, wide and full of panic. He could tell she was about to do something-probably to protect him. She looked down for a moment and then turned away from him. The image blurred.

The next came on and her back was against a wall, head bowed. Her arms were held up above her. She must have heard him or sensed him, because she looked up. Her eyes were tired and there were a few bruises on her face. She tried to look angry, but relief shone through more than anything else. She was shouting at him and then the image blurred again.

This time he could feel a strong sense of urgency. He knew he had to get to Rukia quickly or something horrible was going to happen. He saw only her face again, but this time there was the same sense of urgency there. She looked afraid and he could tell she was calling his name, but there was no sound. Her hand was outstretched to him and he was reaching for it. But he was too slow. Her face twisted in pain.

He came awake screaming her name and lunging forward. When he looked up to see Rukia he only saw darkness. He was in his room and it was still night. It had all been a dream.

He leaned forward on his knees, rested his forehead against his palm and let out a long sigh. His pulse was racing and his entire body was shaking and covered in sweat.

Two small but comforting arms came around his waist from behind and he felt Rukia's head on the middle of his back. "I'm right here."

He moved one hand down to envelop both of hers, "I know…it's just…that seemed so real."

He felt her nodding against him, "It must have."

He straightened for a moment before saying, "You were in it…"

"I thought so, being that you were saying my name." He heard the comfort laced with sarcasm in her voice. She was trying to help him calm down.

"You were in trouble…you're always in trouble. I was saving you-I think."

She raised up a bit, and put her chin on his shoulder so she could whisper to him, "Seems like your usual self; nothing strange about that."

He shook his head, "No..this-if I didn't know better I'd say it was a memory because it was so damn clear. But this hasn't ever happened."

She scoffed at him, "Seeing the future now are we?"

He leaned to the side so he could glare at her properly. "No, I'm not saying that! I just…want you to be careful."

She must have taken offense to that because she pulled away from him and crossed her arms. "I'm always careful. You are the one who always ends up hurt!"

He turned to face her and mimicked her position, "I only get hurt because I'm trying to help! You could be more grateful to the one person that always saves your ass ya know."

He missed her world class death glare, but not her kick in his abdomen. "Worry about yourself Ichigo, I don't need to be protected, I can handle myself."

It seemed that a demonstration of her strength was what he needed to be reminded she was not some weakling that constantly needed looking after because he kept his mouth shut after that. Although, it might have just been that he didn't want to be injured again.

Either way, Rukia laid back down with her back to him.

Ichigo watched her for several minutes until her breathing evened out. She didn't get it. Rukia didn't understand that in order for him to protect himself…he had to protect her. Well, she'd figure it out sooner or later. For now he was tired, and thankful that she hadn't decided to leave his bed.

He laid back down, smiling when Rukia almost instantly rolled back onto him. This time his dreams were much more to his liking.

He woke up earlier than usual and Rukia was still sleeping against him. It was comforting, having her there. Watching her, she looked so peaceful-not at all apprehensive about what she was going to have to do.

Her eyes opened and she stretched against him. "Frowning already?" she teased.

"Whatever, if you're up already, we might as well get ready. I'll go see about some breakfast."

He was in the process of getting up when she held onto his arm and pulled him back down to her. "Changing the subject comes so easily to you…"

He started to deepen his frown; he really did not want to talk about this anymore than he already had, but she kissed him and he somehow forgot why he was in a foul mood to begin with.

"Now go, I'm hungry." He wanted to be angry with her, but she was smiling at him…and he couldn't. So he found himself downstairs wolfing down his breakfast so he could get back upstairs with Rukia's share.

She was already dressed and ready to go when he handed her some toast and juice. Rukia wasted no time in devouring her meal while Ichigo got dressed.

"So.." he started in, seeing she was preparing to leave. "I guess you'd better get going."

She had been about to jump out his window, but she stopped and turned to face him.

"Ichigo…I"

"No no, it's alright" he interrupted, "I get it. You have to do this no matter what. I get it, it's okay."

He was almost giving her a smile and was scratching the back of his head again. She had seen that before-almost exactly. No way was he okay. He wasn't even able to look at her now.

She moved to him and turned his chin so that he was facing her. "No Ichigo, it's not alright, it's not okay."

His eyes…they were full of so much. So many things that made her want to run from all of this. It scared her, how easily he could sway her, without ever really asking. It scared her how much she wanted to be with him. Above all else though, he was hurting right now, and it was because of her.

She let her hand slide down the side of his face, "I can't disobey anymore orders, let alone one this important. What I can promise you, is that I won't always have to do this, it will be over soon."

She leaned up and kissed him again, long enough to distract him again, and then she was gone.

School was much like it normally was. Class was long and boring, but at least he knew exactly where Rukia was the entire time. His attention kept drifting back to her; more than once he caught her watching him.

Lunch was another story-he had no idea where she ran off to with Kariya. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Rukia was under strict orders. She was supposed to go to the back of the school as soon as class was dismissed. She met with Kariya and pretty much just fed his ego in front of his friends.

After he had burned her the second time, she had always managed to conveniently hide her wrist while around him. The truth was, there wasn't a mark this time, she wasn't really inclined to do whatever he wanted her to. But, she always had to play along, which left her in a vulnerable position.

It was the times that they were alone that she had to worry about. Thankfully, it didn't look like that would happen again until Friday…which reminded her that she still hadn't told Ichigo about it.

Kariya didn't ask to meet her again after school-in fact he didn't ask for the next three days. He seemed tired most of the time, and when she asked, he only said he had been working more lately. She only had to be around him while in school, a few minutes before and after.

Those three days flew by much faster than Rukia would have liked.

That morning she was awake well before Ichigo-dressed and ready to leave. She considered leaving without saying anything, but then again. She wouldn't be coming home tonight and she didn't want him to worry….

"Rukia?" she heard him ask her in a groggy voice. "Awake already?"

"Yeah…Ichigo.."

She sounded serious, something was going on. She looked upset…Immediately alert he sat up to focus on her. "Rukia, what is it, has something happened?"

He was standing-already making his way to her, as if he could protect her from some unseen force.

She held her hand out; an unspoken request for him to stop and listen to her. He let his hands drop to his sides, "Rukia?"

She took in a deep breath, "I'm…going to be out tonight." She saw realization dawning on him along with his scowl.

He crossed his arms and looked away from her, "Oh."

"I…don't think I'll be back tonight." Her voice was barely above a whisper when she said it, and she missed the look of shock he gave her.

"What? You're not…coming back tonight?"

She shook her head, still unable to look him in the eye. "I'll be back right after school. I have to change, but then I don't think I'll be back until tomorrow. I just wanted…to make sure you knew.."

God, she felt horrible saying it, and couldn't imagine how he must feel. Ichigo was already having issues with jealousy beforehand. This was just what he needed.

The change in his voice made her want to flinch, but to her credit, she didn't. "Oh I get it…so what you said before, you didn't really mean that did you?"

"What I said before?"

He took a step closer to her, "Yeah, what you said about not going as far as you would have before-or did you already forget that?"

Her glare was in place before she even looked up to him, "What the hell Ichigo! I meant what I said!"

A step to the side so that he wasn't facing her anymore. "Oh yeah, obviously you meant it, that's why you're going to go stay the night with him now, right?"

She wanted to hit him, she really did. "I'm doing this Ichigo-so that I can get information faster. I couldn't avoid it without him wondering why…why it isn't like it was before. I can resist him now, but he doesn't know that and I can't let him figure it out."

That seemed to diffuse some of his anger, but not all of it, understandably. "I know Rukia…it's just. I don't want you to go with him."

She couldn't stand it any longer. She went to him, put his arms around her and buried her face in his chest… "Ichigo…I-if you really…"

He wanted so badly to let her finish that sentence; to hear her say that she wouldn't go if he didn't want her to. But in the same moment, he knew he could never let her do that.

"No Rukia, don't. Just answer one question for me." he waited for her to nod. "Do you…ever think of me? When you're with him I mean."

Suddenly it felt like his chest was going to explode. He felt her go tense in his arms, and braced himself for her response.

"I always think of you when I'm with him."

He could breathe again.

"Good." Rukia couldn't help but smile when she heard how smug he was about it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**A Promise Made**

Kariya Jin waited for his faithful little girlfriend at the main entrance of the school. Tonight was going to be the night. At first, he thought it might be difficult, but not anymore. Rukia had softened towards him, doing whatever he wanted of her. She couldn't resist him at all, and that was just how he wanted it.

Tonight, everything would change, he would officially make Rukia his. He would be gentle at first, but not for long. Oh, he had plans for her. She was stronger than most; he knew that from before. She would be most entertaining.

He spotted her coming and her face sparkled when she saw him. What he didn't see was Ichigo Kurosaki glaring at him from a few steps behind Rukia.

Kariya smiled at her when she came to him and gave him a quick kiss.

"Hey Rukia, you ready for tonight?" She didn't hesitate in answering, "Of course!"

Ichigo kept walking, his arm brushed against hers as he passed her by on his way inside. He hadn't hesitated in the slightest, didn't even turn his head toward her at all. Although she could feel his energy coming off of him in waves, he was doing _much_ better than he had before.

"That's my girl."

She shivered hearing Kariya call her that. He mistook it, of course. "That excited are we?"

Anger flushed her cheeks and she could only nod. "No need to be embarrassed Rukia. I can't wait either. I've got the reservations set, and we can meet at five at the same park. We'll take a nice walk before we eat."

He looked so proud of himself. She supposed she should say something about it to make it seem like she was looking forward to it. So, she threw on another smile and tilted her head to the side slightly, "That sounds nice, I can't wait to see what you have planned!"

The bell rang and he kissed her again, more forcefully than she would have liked. "See you at five then." And he left her there, the feel of his lips lingering on hers.

Rubbing a hand against them absentmindedly, she turned to go to her own class and walked straight into Inoue Orihime, knocking her down.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Inoue, are you alright?" she lent her a hand to help her up.

Of course, Inoue just bounced right back. "Oh I'm fine Kuchiki!" she stopped to dust herself off and then, "You are so strong!"

Rukia cocked her head to the side, not really sure how to respond to that. "Uh…thanks, I think. We'd better get going if we don't want to be late."

Inoue put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from leaving, "Kuchiki…I heard what you and Kariya were talking about. Are you two doing something special tonight?"

Rukia froze at the mention of his name, but she couldn't just leave her there without an explanation. She answered over her shoulder, "Yeah."

Inoue's voice dropped, "Does…does Kurosaki know?"

"Yes."

"Oh. So…this must be important?"

"It's very important Inoue."

Inoue seemed to mull this new information over in her mind. "Kurosaki…seems to be more angry than usual lately." She paused and Rukia held her breath. Inoue's feelings for Ichigo were no secret after all. "I think that it's because of what you're doing."

This made Rukia turn around in shock. She couldn't really be asking her to stop, could she?

"Does he? I hadn't noticed…"

Inoue nodded, "Yeah, he's always frowning now, more than usual. He doesn't really talk to anyone! So…I was wondering if you could…"

Rukia was shaking her head, and dropped all pretenses. "No, I can't stop now." She sighed. "This is too important to stop, but hopefully it can be over soon."

Inoue blushed for a moment and looked away. "Is there…anything I can do to help then? I mean, if it's important to you…then it's important to him too. I want to help."

Rukia tried to give her a smile. "We're just going out on a date tonight…it's nothing that big."

She didn't miss Inoue brightening. "Oh, I see! Well, if you're going out then you have to look your best; I can come over and help you get ready! I'll bring all of the essentials and you'll look beautiful!"

Rukia's eyes nearly popped out of her head; she was speechless. "I…I don't-"

"Are you still staying with Kurosaki? I can come over right after I pick everything up and we'll get to work!"

_There has to be a way out of this…right?_ "I'm not sure…that's a great idea."

Her face fell. "I just…thought that if… maybe, if you looked really great that it might…be over sooner? I want to help Kuchiki, in any way that I can!"

_How the hell am I supposed to say no that? Besides, Inoue is probably right. I could use all the help I can get when it comes to this; what could it hurt?_

"Okay then, I'll see you after school."

Rukia turned back around and hurried to class; she hated being late for anything.

In an instant, Inoue was beaming again, practically bouncing with excitement. "This is going to be so much fun Kuchiki! I've got so many ideas already!"

Inoue, bubbling with excitement, caught up with Rukia as she went over a few ideas on the 'new look' she was going to give her.

"Rukia."

Inoue paused in mid step. "What?"

Rukia gave her a true smile this time. "I think, after everything you've done to help me, you can call me Rukia, don't you?"

"Really? I can call you Rukia?"

At her nod, she beamed. "Alright then, Rukia, you have got to call me Hime! All my friends do, well except for Tatsuki. So it's Hime now, okay?"

_Hime?_ _Well, if she really wants it that way._ "It's a deal, Hime."

Orihime threw an arm around Rukia's shoulders, babbling about how she was planning on doing her hair and make up. Rukia groaned inwardly, chanting her new found mantra: '_She only wants to help! She only wants to help!_'

As promised, after school Orihime showed up at Ichigo's home. The clinic was extremely busy that evening, so Ichigo was actually the one who answered the door, since his father and sisters weren't available.

Ichigo didn't make eye contact with Orihime when she came inside with her bundle. He opened the door and let her in, closed it and then turned to make his way upstairs.

Orihime had been planning out a short speech to give him; to make sure that he knew everything would be alright, but words failed her at that moment. He looked…lost. She knew she wasn't the one that could help him now; it would be useless to try.

Silently, she followed him to his room. He walked in and moved to the side, leaned against a wall and slowly looked to Rukia. Orihime saw the pained look he had, and followed his line of sight.

Rukia hadn't noticed anyone come in, she was sitting on his bed focusing on the floor.

"Rukia? I brought everything I thought we might need. Did you want to start now?"

Orihime's timid voice snapped Rukia out of her stupor and she jerked, "What? Oh, yeah sure. What do you need me to do?"

Her eyes looked clouded, confused and full of pain. "Just stay right there, I'll handle everything, you won't even have to move!"

Rukia gave a small smile, "That sounds convenient."

Orihime moved in front of Rukia and started to pull Rukia's hair back. "We'll save your hair for last…"

Rukia tried not to gape at the look of stern concentration on her friend's face. Apparently, the act of putting on make-up required the utmost attention.

She heard the door close, and realized Ichigo had left. _Why_ _would he want to stay and watch me get ready to go and be with someone else? This will probably make it easier…on both of us._

She sighed and refocused her attention on the floor. "It will be alright Rukia, you'll see!"

"Yeah…I just, I want this to be over." Orihime nodded her understanding but didn't say anything else about that subject. She spent the next hour bringing out Rukia's eyes and lips. She didn't do much with her hair; no matter what she did or what she used, she couldn't keep her bangs out of her face.

When she saw the dress she was going to wear her jaw nearly dropped. "This is gorgeous Rukia!"

Luckily, all of the…accessories she would need were also in the bag with the dress, down to matching undergarments.

Orihime helped her put it on and found it suited her small form perfectly. It was satin overlaid with chiffon, full length and a deep burgundy color, practically the color of blood. It had two small straps over her shoulders and then dropped down to curve around her chest in the front. The back was much lower, exposing skin below her ribs. It had a very tight bodice that accentuated her small waist and then flared out slightly to the floor. The skirt had a slit running up the left side to her upper thigh.

"Rukia, you look great!" Orihime said with a smile. "I hope this helps…"

Rukia didn't even want to look at herself at this point, not that she thought Orihime hadn't done a good job. After all, Orihime always looked good, but she wasn't sure she could look at herself.

"I'm sure that it will, Hime."

She already had her things packed, "Okay, well I guess I'll head out then. Make sure to let me know how it goes!" and with a wave, the cheerful girl was gone.

She bounded down the stairs intent on finding Ichigo, which wasn't hard. He was sitting on his couch staring at the television…which wasn't on.

Orihime took a deep breath, "Kurosaki…I'm finished. I think she's going to leave soon."

At first he made no move to get up, but then she heard a quiet "Thank you Inoue, for helping Rukia."

That wasn't like him at all…but how could he act like himself right now? "Oh, it was nothing! I'll see you later and try not to worry. Rukia is strong! She can take care of herself!"

Ichigo finally made eye contact with her and nodded as he walked passed her to make his way upstairs. Orihime held back a sigh and left quietly, there was nothing she could do now.

Ichigo found Rukia staring out his window. When she sensed his presence she turned around to face him, lips parted as if she was about to say something to him.

When Ichigo saw Rukia in the dress she was wearing for the night, the first thing that came to mind was how he could get her out of it.

The second thing was that Kariya was going to see her in it, and there was far too much of her skin exposed. "No, you are not wearing that."

She sighed, "I have to Ichigo, he told me to." She started brushing her hair out.

"Where did you even get it?"

Her hand froze mid-stroke. "He…bought it for me."

"Of course he did!" The power coming off of him was so thick she almost choked. He turned away from her, "You know, blue is really more your color."

"Ichigo-" But he stopped her with a shake of his head.

"God Rukia, I can't believe this is happening. I'm just supposed to sit here and wait for you to come back? Do you have any idea of what I go through every time you're with him?"

He was obviously having some trouble dealing with this…the problem was, what the hell was she supposed to do about it? In a few minutes, she would have to go…

"No, I don't, and I don't know how you are going to deal with this." She paused for emphasis, "What I _do_ know is that you _will_ deal with it and that I _will_ come back."

His eyes bore into her for a moment, his frown disappearing. _So that is it. He is afraid that I'm not going to come back_.

She shook her head, "Ichigo…trust me, I will be back. I'll be back tomorrow as soon as I can be."

He looked to the side; she saw his hands ball into fists at his sides, and his jaw clenched tight. He nodded.

_I've got to go now, if I don't, then this horrible guilty feeling I've been fighting all day will win and I'll never leave_.

Inhaling deeply, she mentally slapped herself, and then began the odious task of leaving him.

There was no way in hell Ichigo was going to let her out of his sight without reminding her. In a flash he was behind her and he pulled her back from the window and against his chest. One arm kept firmly around her waist and the other trailed up her back to her neck.

She shivered against him and he had to repress the urge to detain her longer than he had planned. He tilted her head back and traced her lips with his tongue before claiming them. As soon as he felt them open he invaded her mouth, stroking her tongue with his own.

He didn't let her hold back in the slightest and quickly found himself nearly as overwhelmed as she was. Rukia practically melted in his arms, but as soon as he heard her moan softly, he knew he had to stop. He had his limits, and he was dangerously close to them at the moment.

Her eyes were glazed, her face flushed and her lips slightly swollen. He held onto her a moment longer, "Just to remind you…Rukia."

She gave him a half smile, "Not that it bothers me, but I didn't need to be reminded."

He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. When he opened them he saw something, "You're wearing it." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Her hand flew to her necklace, "Of course I am."

He made a sort of sighing sound, "You'd better go. Just….be careful Rukia, you'd better come back."

His arms dropped away from her and she stepped back to the window and was crouched partway outside when she said softly over her shoulder, "I'll always come back…I promise."

Ichigo closed his eyes for what felt like hours but was only a few minutes; when he opened them Rukia was gone and he felt like his whole world had just been destroyed.

_I let her go to him. I let her go! Dammit! _ He slammed his fist into the wall, only feeling satisfaction when he felt blood running down his hand.

Whew, well guys I got this posted a little earlier than I thought I would originally, thanks to the reviews I got and Dalero!!! Things are going to pick up a bit in the next chapter, and a few questions should be answered too. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter-please review and I'll see what I can do to get the next chapter up asap!


	25. Chapter 25

To anyone who would like to know, this song has been chosen as the theme song for this story, please copy and paste it if you'd like. It is Obtain Bearing or Obokuri-Eemui by Asazaki Ikue..

25

**Night Out**

Rukia was trying to hurry, but she really wasn't accustomed to heels, or formalwear for that matter. At least, not like this. So, she was a few minutes late when she arrived at the park. There was still light, though the sun was starting to descend, it was beautiful.

_I wish Ichigo was here to see this._

"Rukia! There you are, for a minute there, I didn't think you were going to come."

Kariya was there, dressed in a charcoal suit. He was leaning against a tree and held his arm out for her, beckoning her to come to him… Like a dog. She had to forcibly stop herself from waiting to see if he would come to her. Instead, she obediently walked up to him, let him wrap his arms around her and kiss her.

"I'm sorry if you were waiting long, it's these shoes…" she tried to explain. He chuckled, "No, I wasn't waiting long, now stand back and let me look at you." She stood back and saw his gaze travel over her, lingering over her chest, and again at her waist. He walked around her, slowly nodding his head, appraising her like she was livestock.

"I see you took extra care with your appearance tonight. I like it. You should do that more often."

Her skin began to crawl as his hand darted out and grabbed a strand of her hair, releasing it only to lightly trace his fingers down her jaw. From there he slid his fingers down her neck, moving them slowly down her shoulder, where they finally came to a rest on her back. Inwardly suppressing a shudder, she stood perfectly still. He stepped behind her, running his hand down her lower back, pausing to lightly caress her hip before moving around to her stomach. Once his hand was right over her navel he jerked her back against him. With his other hand he tilted her head to the side and leaned down. He whispered in her ear, his breath hot on her neck "You look… exquisite, Rukia."

It was almost like she was paralyzed. The moment he touched her bare skin she had started to panic. Luckily his focus wasn't on her face. She managed to get out "Th-thank you…you look nice as well."

Then he laughed again, "Manners first as always, right Rukia?" He didn't wait for a reply, but took her hand and threaded her arm through his.

"We'd better get going. I've got quite a night planned out for us."

He took her walking. Normally, she wouldn't have minded, but her sense of balance wasn't exactly at its best by now. She found herself losing her balance a number of times in those unfamiliar heels, jostling him more often than not. His constant laughter at her clumsy actions didn't sit very well; she was finding it harder and harder to _not_ bury a fist in his stomach.

When they got to the river they stopped. "Now, this is the more important part."

He gestured to the road where there was a car waiting. "Will you come with me?" He held the door open for her and she didn't hesitate before she got in. He smiled again, the same chilling smile she'd seen on him before.

_Did he really think I might not go with him? Does he know…that he doesn't have control over me then?_

Inside the car wasn't anything too large, but they did have a driver as well as a privacy wall in between them and the front seat.

Once they were moving she asked, "Where are we going?" He smiled at her, "To a restaurant with the best dining experience you'll ever have."

She raised a brow, "That sounds great, but it still doesn't answer my question: Where are we going?"

Slightly irritated, he answered her question with a sigh. "I couldn't very well take you to dinner around here. Karakura doesn't have the…selection I normally like. We'll be going to Kyoto. Have you ever been there?"

Rukia shook her head. She knew where it was, but had never been there.

"They have a fantastic place there. You're going to love it."

"I'm sure that I will." She was starting to get nervous being alone with him like this. _No one can see us and I don't see any quick means of escape in here…okay, calm down, don't panic._

"How much farther is it?"

He tilted his head to the side assessing her. "It's a little over an hour. Why, are you nervous?"

_Damn, am I that obvious?_

She let out a little laugh. "Why would I ever be nervous around you?" He made a face at that. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not."

"Take it as a compliment." She said with a smile.

He put an arm around her and pulled her closer to him, nudging her chin up so that she was looking at him. In that moment, he didn't look dangerous and she wasn't afraid of him, not in the slightest. There was something there…that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Then she realized that, for now at least, he wasn't hiding anything from her. _Why…_

"You know Rukia, you are the only one I've ever had to think twice about."

She blinked. _What? _

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean…"

Then his defenses slid back in place. "Never mind, I'll explain later."

Rukia crossed her arms in front of her, curiosity piqued. "Why won't you explain now?"

A smirk and then, "You've never really been afraid of me, have you?"

"Well…no." She had no idea where he was going with this; only that it was extremely convoluted and she couldn't be more confused. She thought she heard him whisper, 'I knew it.' But she couldn't be sure. Then he cleared his throat and asked her, "So, you really did go all out for me tonight Rukia. I don't think I've ever seen you so…"

When he left off with an awkward waving of his hand, she let out a laugh. "I know…normally I'd never wear something like this or go to these extremes. In fact, I actually had a bit of help."

He looked truly shocked at this. "You did? Who helped you?"

She swallowed hard before she answered. This was almost too easy. That last thing that she'd said…it was almost like she was talking to a friend. Someone she wasn't supposed to be spying on.

"Orihime Inoue."

"Ah." He looked down and pretended to dust an imaginary spec of lint off his shirt. "I don't think she likes very much." Rukia waved a hand dismissively, "Oh no, don't worry about it. She loves everyone."

He laughed a little at that. He kept his arm wrapped around her and pulled her so that her head was resting on his chest. "We're almost there."

A few minutes later they pulled up to the restaurant. He stepped out and lent her his hand. As soon as she took it he practically dragged her to the building. She went with him to the entrance of the restaurant and spoke with a man at the door. She saw him slip something into the man's hand; a moment later, the man bowed to them both and held the door open for them.

Once inside they were lead through the main room and into the back. There was a table in the back waiting for them. They would certainly have their privacy. Kariya pulled her chair out for her and then took his own seat. Rukia was far too busy gaping at how wonderful everything here looked. This was definitely a rather expensive place to dine.

The table was covered with a crisp, white table cloth, and was lit by the soft glow of candles. Cups of warm sake sat atop the table, waiting to be consumed. A man came over and asked them if they needed anything while waiting for their first course to which Kariya shook his head.

"You are going to love this Rukia." She raised a brow at him as he sipped his sake. "I'm fairly certain that you are not old enough to be drinking that."

He grinned at her, "Tonight, none of that matters. Trust me, I took care of it. Go on, drink up!"

She frowned, but picked up a cup anyway. She didn't want to make him angry this early in the evening; besides, she had never been more in the mood to drink. He looked a bit surprised as she lifted her cup and swallowed a mouthful. "You seem like you've had that before."

She set her cup down and looked him directly in the eye, "What if I have?" He drained his own cup and leaned forward, "I might have to wonder how well you hold your liquor then."

She smiled sweetly. "Better than you I'd imagine."

He poured more for them both, "Oh really?"

She nodded and he noticed the playful sparkle in her eye.

"Show me."

Not being one to back down from any challenge she downed the contents in one swig and then looked at him expectantly, he did the same.

Soon after, their food began to arrive. They had sashimi, yakitori, nikujaga, miso soup and maccha ice cream for dessert. Rukia had never tasted such wonderful food in her life. Normally she was happy with ramen, but this really was excellent.

She had kept him talking throughout the meal, continuously teasing him about his drinking ability. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

Finally he stood and offered her his hand, "It's getting late. We'd better head back." She nodded and went with him. Outside, she was surprised to see that it was indeed getting late. "Where are we going now?" He smiled to her, "I thought we'd go relax back at my place. I've got a great entertainment room you'll love."

The car pulled around for them and again, he opened the door for her and helped her inside. Once they were on their way back, he opened up a new bottle of sake, "Can't let it go to waste now can we? Besides, I haven't won yet."

Rukia scoffed, "That's because you aren't going to win."

The trip to his home seemed to go a lot faster than before, and she wasn't sure if it was the effects of the sake or if it was because she was dreading what was coming. So far, nothing too terrible had happened, but she wasn't at all sure how long that could go on. All too soon he was helping her out of the car and walking her up the steps to his home. Once inside, she immediately discarded the shoes, and earned another laugh for it.

"You really hate those, don't you?"

She laughed. "With the fire of a thousand suns, yes I do."

His laughter actually made her smile. When he was like this he didn't seem so intimidating. She wondered if he'd always been like this. He gave her a quick tour, showing her the kitchen and living room before moving upstairs to show several guest rooms.

Then came his room, it was all in reds and blacks, there was a huge wardrobe, a TV and then there was the overlarge bed…she shuddered, but he didn't notice.

Then he grabbed her hand and, somewhat unsteadily, drug her back downstairs and outside. There was an in ground pool. She hadn't ever been in one of those and he must have seen her staring.

"It's one of the only ones in Karakura, but there's more."

Then he was dragging her again, back into the house and into a large room. There were actually a few video games there, a very large flat screen TV, a dart board and a pool table.

"I'll be right back, don't move." And he disappeared.

She hadn't ever seen much of what was in the room and was gaping at it, running around it and inspecting it when she heard the music start. It was loud, but it had a good beat to it, so she didn't mind too much. Kariya reappeared with a new bottle of his favorite drink and she rolled her eyes, "Another one?"

He nodded, "Come on; let's see how well you can throw." He pulled her over to the dart board. "I don't know how…to do this." She said as he handed her three darts.

He looked at her strangely for a moment, "You just throw them, and try to hit the middle of that board, like this." He made a show of his demonstration when he hit the second ring. Trying to imitate him was unsuccessful as more often than not, her darts ended up on the wall instead of the board. He laughed at her and she couldn't stop herself from punching him in the arm. At that he looked surprised, but then he just shook his head.

When he tried to get her to shoot pool she kept knocking the cue ball off the table. She was carefully taking aim when he came up behind her, pressing himself against her backside and using his arms to position hers. His chin rested on her shoulder next to her face and whispered, "Take your time to aim and then tap the ball."

His voice was deep, and there was something in it that scared her. Something that made her want to run away from him. She didn't, instead, she took aim and shot-actually hitting what she aimed for that time.

"I made it!" she exclaimed leaning back upright and turning to face him.

That was a bad move she realized almost instantly as she felt his hands on her waist now. His eyes were hooded and she could tell this wasn't going well. His head dropped to her neck and she felt his mouth on her skin, hot and wet as he began to kiss her. She put her hands on his chest, starting to push him away when he tangled a hand in her hair and roughly pulled her head back so she was looking at him in the eye.

"Don't push me away Rukia, not tonight."

She knew he was trying to use his power on her again. _What the hell am I supposed to do?_ I _can't just come out and refuse him; that would ruin everything and I still haven't gotten what I came for. I've got to calm down! I can handle this…just think of Ichigo._ _It's just Ichigo touching me, kissing me…_

He moved a hand up her stomach coming to rest on her breast, gripping it forcefully. Rukia gasped in pain and he used that opportunity to kiss her, shoving her tongue into her mouth. He pushed her back and lifted her so that she was sitting on the edge of the table, forcing her knees apart, closing the distance between them. He was relentless, not releasing his painful grip or his forceful kiss. Now, he was pushing her down so that she was lying flat on the table. A moment later he stood up and started taking off his shirt.

Rukia's mind was racing; she had to stop this, _she had to do something!_ Several ideas came to mind, but she discarded each of them. It had to be one that would slow him down and pacify him at the same time.

He reached behind her and started lower the zipper on the back of her dress slowly. "It's tonight Rukia…we've got plenty of time." Her hands were on his chest just beginning to push him back when he slid the straps of her dress down over her shoulders. She shook her head, "Jin…no I" Rukia was cut off when he pulled her against him and lifted her again so that her clothing spilled to the floor in a silky pool at their feet.

"Times up Rukia, I caught you."

She looked to the side, trying to think of anything else she could do to hold him off; finally deciding on one of her ideas she spoke in a shaky voice, "Jin…I-"

He squeezed her waist painfully, "I love it when you say my name like that Rukia." She shook her head and put a hand against her forehead, "I'm not…feeling so good."

That only seemed to make him more aggressive. He shoved her back down onto the table and started to climb on top of her.

_Okay…this is not going well._ She could feel his arousal pressing into her stomach and repressed the urge to deck him and run. She had to get this information…but she wasn't going to sleep with him, not now, _not ever_.

"I think…that I drank too much sake, I really don't feel well." He laughed.

His hands were roaming all over her back and stomach, up and down her legs. She was preparing to shove him off of her when she felt it. It had only been for a moment, but that was plenty long enough. A spirit force she had hoped to never feel again.

Sousuke Aizen.

_Aizen…_

Rukia jerked harshly and pushed him off of her with all her strength. Once she was freed of his weight she bolted upstairs and into the bathroom, shutting the door and hiding. She listened for any indication he was coming after her.

"Dammit, get back here!" he screamed after her, but she didn't stop.

She heard him stomping up after, then a loud crash followed by silence. She crept to the door on her hands and knees; pressed her ear against the wood and waited.

"Kariya."

_Oh god…that's him! _They were still some distance away, but close enough that she could hear their voices, but not quite make out their words. She took a chance and very slowly opened the door a crack, just enough so that she could see. The hall was dark, they were still downstairs. Letting out a slow breath, she waited to hear more.

"Aizen."

"I certainly hope that you aren't…busy this evening."

_Damn…can he sense me?_

"Well, I was, but that can wait. I assume you need my services?"

"Another girl is it? That's an unhealthy habit you've developed. It could cause problems if you aren't careful Kariya."

"It's a necessary habit considering what I usually do with the Hollows."

"Ah yes, that brings me to the reason I came. We've got two Hollows captured, but resisting the change. We'll need you to…persuade them to our cause. Come with me."

Then she heard Kariya coming up the stairs, his footsteps stopping outside the door. She made a groaning sound. She heard him knocking, buy she didn't answer.

"Hey…you okay in there?"

"Um…yeah, I just don't feel very well; too much sake, sorry." She paused and swallowed. "I guess you win after all"

"Yeah, I guess so." She heard him sigh, "I'm going to go out for awhile…I'll be back soon."

"Oh, alright, I'm sure I'll be better by the time you're back."

He didn't say anything else, but she heard him go. As soon as she heard the front door close she was out. She ran back outside, gathered up her clothes, throwing them on as she ran. She grabbed her shoes at the door and then made her way outside. She leaned down to put them on, then thought better of it and dropped them; she would be much faster without them anyway.

She checked to make sure that neither Aizen nor Kariya were anywhere in sight. She waited about five minutes, and ran.

She _had_ to get to Ichigo. She finally had her information.

A/N- Sashimi is thinly sliced raw seafood, yakitori is grilled chicken speared on sticks, nikujaga is a 'meat and potatoes' dish, miso soup is probably the most popular soup in Japan, made with a soy bean paste and maccha ice cream is green tea ice cream. So, was anyone at all surprised with the appearance of Aizen? Next chapter you'll get a few more answers, maybe a few more questions but things are probably going to start moving quickly in the next couple of chapters! Oh and sorry this one was super long…


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**It's Over**

Kariya followed Aizen to the cave opening on the outskirts of Karakura. As soon as they passed the barrier leading underground he was overwhelmed with the stench of Hollow. Aizen must have had them here for awhile; their scent thoroughly permeated the air.

As he was led deeper and deeper underground he could feel the Hollow's rage and underlying sorrow flowing into him. He had always been extremely empathetic. So much so that when he was younger he used to get his own feelings confused with those of others. Especially a spirit's emotions; theirs were always so much more clear and strong, much more to his liking. His other power was much more convenient. He could manipulate the feelings of others to a limited extent. Some people were stronger and able to resist his call; others were much more susceptible. He had found over the years that he preferred the stronger; they were more of a challenge.

Nearly seven years ago Aizen had come to him and taken him to his first Hollow. It had been restrained in this very cave. He had been forced to touch it, and as soon as he did he felt an onslaught of fear surging into him. But Aizen commanded him to control it and he did. He'd forced it back; he'd condensed all of its fear and forced it back through his hand and into the Hollow. When he pulled his hand away sometime later there was a darkening mark on the Hollow right where he had been touching it. He'd learned that once that mark was there, all he had to do was focus and give an order.

The Hollows would always obey since they weren't strong enough to resist.

In time, he came to understand that it was the pain these creatures were in that made them so easy to control. The pain of being left behind, of leaving others behind, loneliness; fear and anger. They were all forms of pain. Once he'd grasped that, he started practicing. Humans were in pain too, and soon he put his skills to work on them, bending them to his will. It was only a matter of time that he began his tortures on young women.

He started with young girls, ones that were weak and innocent. He made them love him, made them need him. Then he broke them in the crudest way possible. He'd cut them, burn them and bruise them and shatter every other relationship that kept them sane. More often than not he got carried away. It was the hunt that was so exhilarating, the thrill of gaining their trust. He would become frenzied with the idea of winning them over completely, and once he did, he was always furious with them for giving in.

That was one of the reasons he gave himself for getting 'carried away'.

His most recent conquest was Rukia Kuchiki. She was different; most girls were always afraid of him in the beginning. He hadn't thought that she would be an exception, but she certainly was.

She was short; extremely short with the palest skin he had ever seen. The thing that was most striking about her though, were those eyes. They were a deep violet that always seemed sad, but could be sparked to life with her temper. He loved that the most. Rukia…she wasn't weak, but he had sensed such intense and exquisite pain emanating from her. It was so clear and strong he could practically taste it when he first met her. That girl, she felt things very strongly no matter how she tried to hide it; he could tell that she was lonely.

She couldn't have a great family life at home. Most of the time she was quiet and reserved and always very courteous; it was evidence of a harsh upbringing around a lot of rules and very little caring. He doubted any of her 'friends' at school really knew her at all, but she still valued those friends and the bonds she had with them; she valued that more than her own life. When she yielded herself to him, he had felt like she really wanted him; there was no hint that he'd forced her at all. Whenever he'd make her angry she didn't back down from him. She'd match him glare for glare in pure defiance; she wasn't afraid of him. She enthralled him.

To Kariya, that made Rukia so much more…_desirable._

Last week, when he had told her to meet him, he had been positive that she would come. When she hadn't, he had been extremely confused. She had been so willing to meet him, she wouldn't deny him. To be able to stop herself from succumbing to him then…she had to have a lot of will power. He actually had to reconsider if he wanted to continue pursuing her or not at that point.

Then he had seen her with that Kurosaki bastard.

It was obvious how Kurosaki felt about Rukia. How his eyes always drifted to her, how he would start to reach for her, and then stop himself. He wanted her for himself. Kariya had been overcome with jealousy. He would never let anyone else have Rukia; she was _his_…even if she didn't know it yet. He hated Kurosaki, which would only make it more rewarding when he had Rukia. When he asked her why she hadn't met him she said she was with a friend, but she wouldn't say who it was. Such loyalty to her…friends.

So, Rukia was an enigma to him. She was obviously smart, beautiful, strong willed, brave and very loyal. He could also tell that she was very passionate; and that just from the few glimpses of her temper that she had seen. She was…perfect, mesmerizing. He had to wonder at times if he really wanted to destroy her.

"You seem distracted Kariya, what's on your mind?" Aizen's voice jerked him back to reality.

"Nothing I can't handle." He replied coolly.

Aizen chuckled, "These Hollows aren't weak. You'll need to focus to control them."

He only nodded. When Aizen didn't get any other response he prodded further, "It's the girl isn't it?" and he smiled when he saw Kariya tense.

"And?"

He shrugged defensively, "I don't mean to offend of course, but, I would think after all I've done to help you that you would think of me more as a friend."

That was true. Aizen had done many things for Kariya, not the least of which was to teach him to use those powers.

"This one is different."

He saw Aizen nod from the corner of his eye, "Ah, I see. So you've finally found one. Tell me, what's different about her?"

"It's more like what isn't different about this one. I've never seen one like her before."

"She's really gotten your attention hasn't she?"

Kariya nodded, "Let's hurry this up, she's still back at my place."

Aizen only nodded and led him deeper, down into the holding cells, opening one of the doors. There, in front of them was a large ominous looking hollow. At seeing him it gave a bellow of rage and charged him. Kariya smiled and held his hand out. Once his skin touched that of the Hollow it froze and wailed in agony. In a matter of seconds it was over and Kariya took a step back watching the creature writhe in pain at his feet.

"Stand."

The Hollow seemed to fight for a moment and then stood obediently.

"Good, now let's take off that mask of yours."

Slowly two clawed hands rose to its face and it began to tear the bone white away, piece by piece. Pain ripped through Kariya, just as it did the Hollow. He kept his focus though, knowing that he would return to Rukia's soothing presence soon. The process of removing the masks took a few hours, but once it was completed Aizen took Kariya back to his home.

"That was good work tonight, faster than usual." Kariya nodded his appreciation, keeping his eyes focused on his home that was just now coming into view.

"That eager to return to her, are you? Tell me now; what is so different about this one?"

"She's…the only one who has ever really stood up to me before, she isn't afraid of me. Then, there are those eyes."

Aizen gave a hollow chuckle at this, "I think I'd like to meet this girl, does she have a name?"

They were at his door now, and without looking back Kariya answered, "Rukia Kuchiki."

He didn't know what the hell hit him, but Kariya found himself thrown against a wall inside. He wasn't left to wonder long.

Aizen towered over him, "Do you have any idea of what you've done?" Kariya was dumbfounded and shook his head.

"Rukia Kuchiki is a Death God and now, thanks to you and your fetish she is probably reporting back to Soul Society."

In that moment Kariya knew betrayal in its truest form. Everything started to slide into place. Why she had so suddenly seemed interested in him, why she tried not to talk about her past, why her emotions were so much clearer than others…she was a spirit. He had never imagined that a woman like her could ever get close enough to actually hurt him, but she had, and he hated her for it. _She will pay_; he would make her suffer more than any before her because he knew from experience…Death Gods could still bleed.

Rukia wasn't exactly sure where she was going, since she had absolutely no idea where she was in relation to Ichigo's neighborhood. It didn't help that it had been pouring for the last half hour. After about forty-five minutes of running, things started to look familiar. She rounded a corner and saw their school.

_Great, I know my way from here._

She pulled out her phone and requested an emergency gate be opened for both her and Ichigo. Gaining her second wind, she ran at full speed the rest of the way. She was terrified.

_Aizen…Aizen is here! It won't be long before he comes after us. He took notice of Ichigo before, I'm sure it won't take long for him to realize that's where I am. He knows...Aizen knows about Ichigo…I've got to get him out of here!_

Back at Ichigo's house all was quiet. Ichigo had actually managed to get to sleep not long ago, but was awakened abruptly by Rukia's energy. Rukia was one of the very few things he could sense, and he could tell she was coming closer. Her spirit force was erratic, almost frantic.

_Something's wrong…she's…scared?_

Bolting out of bed he slammed his badge into his chest and leaped out of his room to meet Rukia. She wasn't far, but one look at her told him he was right, something was terribly wrong.

"Rukia!"

His yell stopped her in her tracks and in a moment he landed before her. She leaned over, gasping for breath.

"Rukia…" Ichigo looked all around her, unsheathed Zangetsu and prepared to fight, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but we've got to get to Soul Society now! Kariya is working for Aizen, I'm sure it won't be long before they realize what's going on."

Seeing that she was alright, he relaxed slightly. Taking a deep breath, he put Zangetsu away. Finally he nodded and turned, offering his back to her, "Urahara's then?"

Rukia climbed on, wrapping her arms and legs around him, suddenly she felt much safer.

She gave him a quick kiss on the side of his neck, "It's over now."

He cocked his head to the side, "Che, 'bout time." He tried to hide it from her, but Rukia saw it anyway, he was smiling. Once he had a good grip on her, he tilted his head back slightly and closed his eyes; she could feel the tension melt out of him.

She rested her head on his shoulder, "We'd better hurry." His eyes snapped back open. "Right, hold on." Within a few minutes they landed outside the shop, just in time to see Renji slamming the door open and run outside. Rukia didn't know why, but Ichigo's grip tightened on her the moment he saw Renji. In an unconscious effort to soothe him she started making small circles on the back of his neck with her thumb.

"I called for a gate to be opened so we could go right away, looks like they sent Renji to open it for us." She whispered into his ear.

Renji tried not to notice how much more at ease Ichigo and Rukia were with each other. The last he remembered, he had no idea what was really going on. Apparently Rukia had decided to fill him in.

"Rukia, you okay?" he asked in a gruff voice. Ichigo leaned down slightly so that Rukia could get off easier, "She's fine Renji."

"I wasn't asking you punk, I was talking to Rukia!"

"And I said she's fine Renji!"

Rukia sighed. _I_ _see they've already slipped into their usual greeting…_ "We don't have time to stand around here and yell at each other, we've got to go."

Both men snapped their mouths closed and glared at each other. She motioned to them to follow her into the shop where Urahara was waiting for them.

"Urahara." She nodded in greeting. "Ah, Miss Kuchiki, whatever can I do to be of service to-" Rukia closed her eyes, "Not now Urahara, I just confirmed that Kiraya is working for Aizen; he's able to control Hollows and he mentioned something about a change…I've got to report this."

"I see." His expression changed to something much more serious and dark, "You'd better hurry then." She nodded and easily slid out of her gigai and dragged it into the back. "We won't be gone long."

Rukia with her hands on her hips turned to Renji who was still glaring at Ichigo, "Renji, hurry and open the gate."

Smirking at Ichigo, as if to say, '_I_ can do something _you_ can't' Renji held out Zabimaru in front of him, and then as if it was unlocking a door he twisted it and the gateway opened.

Renji went in first, and once he was through Rukia reached back to take Ichigo's hand. Glancing over, he threaded his fingers through hers, giving them a gentle squeeze, and receiving a small smile and a squeeze in return. This trip to the Soul Society was going to be very different from his first journey, though no less dangerous.

_We're going back to the place where we both nearly died, and yet we're still going back. It's different this time though, because this time, I'll be_ _with_ _you..._

Together, they went through the gate linking the living world with the Soul Society.

A/N I hope that I answered a few questions about Kariya here, and that everyone enjoyed this chapter. I also hope everyone likes the ending here, it took a bit of work to get it right. Oh, anyone care to hazard a guess as to what's coming up next chapter?


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N- Hey everyone, I'm really really sorry that it took me forever to update this chapter, but I'm working on this again! Please forgive me!!! Let's just say that life got in the way…so, thanks to everyone who left me reviews. I read each and every one and they were so supportive, so thank you again. Now, on to the story, hope you all enjoy it! **

**Chapter 27**

**Report**

The trio came through the gateway smoothly, Renji in the lead. Almost immediately he turned around and took hold of Rukia's free hand, "Come on Rukia, Captain Hitsugaya is waiting for your report over in his division, Captain Ukitake is there as well."

Letting her hand slide away from Ichigo's Rukia regained her composure and went with Renji. If her own captain was waiting for her, she wanted to make sure she made no mistakes. She heard Ichigo's loud protestations coming from behind her, his heavy steps while he was catching up to them. "Dammit Renji, you don't have to pull her along like that, she can make it on her own!"

She felt Renji's grip on her hand tighten, and nearly stumbled when he increased his speed, "Someone has to make sure she gets there, if I left that up to you who knows when she'd show up!"

Of course Ichigo sped up to catch them, "Can't you go _any_ faster Renji?" he taunted before he ran past them. "You idiot, do you even have any idea where you're going?"

He shouted over his shoulder, "It doesn't matter if I know where it is, I'll still beat you there!"

Being held in a vice grip, Rukia could do no more than roll her eyes and wonder why these two were always at each other's throats.

Their shouting continued into Hitsugaya's office with a very annoyed Rukia standing in between them. She put a hand on Ichigo's arm and he looked down to her, his scowl no longer reaching his eyes. She shook her head once and he cocked his head to the side and let out an exasperated sigh, as if to say _I didn't start this, so don't get angry with me. _

This exchange was quick and discreet, but it didn't go unnoticed. Renji was seething; the interaction between Rukia and Ichigo had always bothered him, but somehow it had changed. It was more…intimate now. He had always known Ichigo had feelings for Rukia and that his short friend cared for Ichigo in return. It had never occurred to him that something would come of it. Just as he was opening his mouth to question Ichigo's subservience he was cut off by Rukia.

"We really don't have time for this so can the two of you please stop long enough for me to report my findings?"

Before either of them could retort the door to the office opened behind them. Byakuya swept into the room and nodded his greeting to both Hitsugaya and Ukitake, then turned to Renji, "I see you've brought my sister back, but why I wonder, did you bring Kurosaki with you?"

"Captain, he was with Rukia when I arrived and is apparently aware of the situation. I thought it best that he come as well."

As soon as he entered the room, on impulse Rukia and Ichigo exchanged a brief nervous glance before making a point in not looking at each other. Ichigo's body was tense, his hands twitching with the urge to pull Rukia behind him for protection. Rukia was, on the other hand, full of relief. The last time she had seen her brother he hadn't been able to stand and now here he was, fully healed, his commanding presence restored. She bowed her head, partly in respect and partly so that her brother wouldn't see her apprehension.

"Brother…you look well." Her voice was soft, almost questioning.

Byakuya's eyes flickered to her for a moment but settled on Ichigo when he spoke, "Yes Rukia, I am well now."

Then he turned back to Renji, "I expect a full report Vice-Captain."

Rukia's head shot up, "You aren't staying to hear it?"

Byakuya brushed past her and stood directly in front of Ichigo, who only glared back at him. "No, I won't be staying, and neither will Kurosaki. As he was with you in the living world, he has all of the information and he needs to speak with me."

At hearing this, Rukia couldn't stop herself from taking a quick look at Ichigo. _He doesn't look afraid, but then again, he never does. In fact, he looks angry. Ichigo please keep your temper under control…_

His voice was hard and defiant when he answered, "We can talk later Byakuya. I'm staying here." Byakuya's stoic façade never faltered, however his hand came to rest on the hilt of his sword. Seeing this Ichigo stole a quick glance at Rukia and then with a defeated sigh, "Fine, let's just make it quick."

Without another word Byakuya turned and left Ichigo to follow him; which he did, although he shot Renji another glare on his way out.

Once the two were gone Rukia took a deep breath. She had important information to convey in a clean and concise manner; she couldn't afford any distractions so she pushed all thoughts of Ichigo from her mind. She covered how she had been manipulated and the mark she had on her shoulder. When she came to the part about overhearing the conversation with Aizen she felt the temperature drop considerably.

Every so often, one of them would stop her and ask her a few questions, or for examples on how this had affected her or where she had been. Afterwards Ukitake came to her, and with a hand on her shoulder told her she had done well. Hitsugaya thanked her for taking the mission on and said her information was exactly what they had been looking for.

The prodigy concluded that, for whatever reason, Aizen was forcing Hollows to become something else, something more powerful. Since he was using Kariya to do this, they would need to take Kariya out of the equation. How they were going to do so was still under debate. He wasn't some soul that they could perform a soul burial on, and he certainly wasn't a Hollow they could purify. Renji suggested, rather enthusiastically, that they kill him. Both of the captains reminded him that it was not their place to hand out punishments for living souls, only to keep the two worlds in balance. Hitsugaya decided to take the matter to Yamamaoto and ordered Rukia to return and keep an eye on Kariya in case they needed to apprehend him quickly and dismissed her. The whole ordeal had taken over two hours.

Rukia left his office quickly with Renji on her heels. She wasted no time in making her way towards the sixth division headquarters but was stopped by that same vice-grip on her arm. "Rukia, wait dammit!"

Realizing she wasn't getting anywhere pulling against him she turned, "What?"

"Rukia…I just…" he let go of her arm and looked to the side "I wanted to make sure that you were alright." Almost instantly Rukia's expression of determination softened, "Of course I'm alright. You heard the report, Hana healed me and Kariya wasn't able to mark me again after that."

Renji nodded to himself more than to her, and then he gave her a sort of loathing smile "So it seems like Ichigo didn't want to leave you alone while you're here." Rukia kicked his shin, "Of course he wouldn't want to, the last time he was here nearly everyone tried to kill him and I was supposed to be executed!"

He quickly recovered from the attack, "That's not what I meant! Something has changed between you two Rukia, I just…I want to make sure you know what you're getting into." That got her attention; her eyes snapped up to his, her back straightened and he felt her spirit pressure rise exponentially, "What makes you think that anything has changed Renji?"

He couldn't hold her icy gaze for long and halfway through his explanation his eyes fell to the ground, "You two seem…closer now is all. If I'm wrong then fine, whatever, but if I'm not…Rukia if I'm not wrong I want to make sure that you know what will happen. Your worlds don't mix; there isn't a way that this can work. What will happen when you have to focus on your duties here? What will happen when he grows old and you don't?"

There was a pause, long enough to take a breath, and then she answered, "I don't know what will happen Renji, all I know is that I have to find out." She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off a sudden chill, "I went without knowing before and I won't do it again. I _can't_ do it again."

Renji had the sudden desire to shake her, but managed to squelch it before replying. "I can understand that." Rukia smiled up at him, and for a moment he couldn't breathe. But in a flash she was gone, running to someone else.

Ichigo was beyond angry at this point. Byakuya had come in, practically dragged him away from Rukia and now he wasn't talking. _What the hell was so important that he needed to talk to me right away? _When they finally entered Byakuya's office he quietly moved behind his desk and took his seat, motioning to one on the other side of his desk.

Ichigo sat down at the unspoken demand, trying to show his respect for the man. He didn't realize that he was drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair, or that he had been sighing out of frustration for the last several minutes.

Byakuya appraised him slowly before he spoke, "Kurosaki Ichigo, explain to me what exactly you have been doing with my sister." Ichigo's fingers froze mid air, _Oh shit_. _Maybe…I misheard him?_

"What?"

"Do not make me repeat myself boy, I asked you to explain yourself."

Ichigo tried to scowl his way through the blush creeping up his face. _This is _really_ not how I saw this talk going…I was supposed to be able to bring this up first. How the hell did he find out anyway?_ "Byakuya…Captain Kuchiki, I don't know how you found out or how much you know." He took a moment to swallow. "What you need to know is that I care for Rukia, more than I thought possible. She's safe with me…I-"

"She is safe with you, but is she safe from you Kurosaki?" Ichigo opened his mouth to respond, closed it and then tried again, "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow you there. I just said that she is safe with me…" This time Byakuya stood and placed his hands on his desk, leaning over slightly, "My question was whether Rukia is safe from you. I may not have a close bond with her, but it would take a fool to be blind to how she feels about you. I will _not_ allow my sister to be with someone who will hurt her."

Ichigo gripped the arms of his chair in an effort to control his temper, "What the hell are you saying Byakuya? You were the one who was going to allow her to be executed! I came here to save her, to protect her from all of you! I never hurt Rukia, but you all sure as hell did."

For the first time he heard Byakuya raise his voice, "You only came after her to repay a debt Kurosaki! She saved you so you saved her in return, and then you left. I won't let her be with you when she assumes that you feel the same for her as she does for you."

He was out of the chair and next to Byakuya's face before he could even think to react, "What do you mean you won't '_let_' her be with me?" The words were quiet and dangerous. Byakuya assessed him for a moment, then leaned back regaining his calm, "Rukia must have permission from the head of the family to have…relations with someone. I will not give her my permission to do so with you."

Ichigo slammed his fist down on Byakuya's desk, "She doesn't need your permission to feel dammit, and you can't stop her!"

"Actually I can, unless she no longer values the Kuchiki name. You are not worthy of her affections Kurosaki. All you have shown is that you would fight for her life; that you would repay a debt you feel you owe. Those are the feelings one would have for a comrade. Those are certainly not the feelings she has for you."

"After everything I've done, I'm _still_ not good enough for her? Damn you Byakuya, I defeated you, Renji and Kenpachi for her; but you still won't _allow_ her to be with me? You would actually force her to choose…between her family and me?" Byakuya didn't respond, but he didn't have to, Ichigo already knew.

_This can't be happening! How can this bastard doubt how I feel for Rukia? I'd die for her in an instant, hell he saw that first hand_… "No matter what I do, you'll never let her be with me will you?"

Ichigo focused on the ground, crushing down the desire to pull out Zangetsu against him again. _He's Rukia's brother after all…I won't do that to her. I'd hate to have to choose between my family and her…I can't do that to her._

"Rukia has been hurt enough in the past. I won't let her go through that again. Now, thank you for escorting Rukia back here, but your services are no longer needed. A gate has been opened for you to return."

Ichigo didn't move his gaze from the ground, "I'm not leaving without her again." Byakuya raised a brow, "She will not be leaving her with you."

"I'm not moving until I see her. When I hear _her_ say she won't be with me then I'll leave!" Ichigo's eyes were focused on him now, his gaze intense. For a moment, Byakuya thought he might actually try and fight him again, but then the fire died down.

"I'll explain everything to her Kurosaki. All she needs to know is that you don't have my approval. Like I've said, I won't allow her to be hurt again." He cleared his throat, "Now you can go on your own, or I can force you to go. The choice is yours."

Ichigo was in such a daze over what had happened he almost went without a fight. In fact, he was already outside of his office when he started to reach for Zangetsu. His hand never even touched the hilt of his sword.

"Bakudou 61, Rukujyoukourou."

He felt an extraordinary force pull both his arms behind his back, legs went stiff and then he was laying on the ground, he knew what this was, it was a 'way of binding'. He started to focus his own power into breaking the bonds of energy holding him down, but this was much stronger than what he had felt before. He started to panic, _I can't break it! This cannot be happening; she's going to think that I just left her here…again. _

When he felt a crushing blow at the base of his skull, he knew he had no chance. He fought to stay awake, but it was a losing battle and within seconds he lost consciousness. He woke up to bright rays of sunshine; he was back in his room lying on the floor. Frantically he jumped up and ran to the closet, slamming the door open; it was empty and there was no sign she had been back since yesterday.

He was back in the living world and Rukia was still in Soul Society. Slowly he sank to the floor, realizing Rukia would know he was gone by now, Byakuya would have told her…and she would have been given her choice. Pain spilled into his chest and his lungs felt like they might burst. He had lost her _again_…

Rukia had made her choice.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Diverting Disaster **

**In which we see what reactions are caused by other actions.**

* * *

Rukia made her way to her brother's division thinking that he and Ichigo would be there but when she arrived all she found was a broken desk and a chair on its side. _What happened here..?_ A horrible feeling started to take over…_they fought? Did…my brother find out about us? Oh dammit…where's Ichigo?_ Fighting back the urge to panic she went to the Kuchiki mansion, her brother would be there and he had to know what had happened.

She was right, Byakuya was waiting for her. When she came charging into his study his back was to her, hands clasped behind him and staring out into the garden. She scanned the room quickly and when she realized Ichigo wasn't there she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Brother….where is Ichigo?"

"He left Rukia; he went back to the living world."

_What…he left? He didn't say anything to me…I thought that he would wait for me, why would he just leave?_ "What happened? Why did he just…leave?" Byakuya stiffened at her questioning, "He left because I told him to Rukia." She took a step back from him as if she had been struck, and asked, "Why did you tell him to leave?" He slowly turned to face her, and when his gaze met her own she almost lost her courage. Almost.

"I told him to go because there was no reason for him to stay here. I told him that I would not allow you to have a relationship with him Rukia, just like I'm telling you now." She took another step back, her mouth opening and closing trying to make sense of what her brother was telling her. "You…what?" Byakuya came to stand in front of her but she couldn't look at him anymore. "You know that I would not allow you to disgrace our name further Rukia, therefore there can be no relationship between the two of you."

_Disgracing our name; is that what this is really about? How can he tell me who I can and can't be with? He knows everything that we've gone through together; he can't just make that go away!_

She clenched her fists at her sides when she looked up at him. In that moment Byakuya was finally able to see how his little sister was able to make a man that towered over her afraid. Her deep blue eyes ripped through him with such a force he nearly cringed. "You won't allow me to disgrace the family name by being with someone that I care about?" His hand moved at his side, "Rukia-"

"No! You don't get to tell me who I can have feelings for, brother. You loved my sister and despite everyone else, you married her and you were happy in that time you two had. How dare you try and deny me the same thing!"

"Yes, I loved Hisana…" his eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, and when he spoke again, she wasn't sure that she was meant to hear it, "I would have killed for her…I would have died for her."

Rukia almost reached a hand out to her brother, but stopped herself, "Brother…"

"I don't want you to go through the things that I went through Rukia." Her eyes welled with unshed tears, "That's not your choice to make; although I'm grateful to you…I won't let you stop me."

He raised a brow at her, "Are you willing to give up your name Rukia? We cannot accept him…" She shook her head, "I will if I have to…I have to see where this goes, please understand." Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment, and then nodded. He watched her give him a fleeting smile, turn and leave him. He sighed and turned to look back out the window at his late wife's garden. "She really loves him Hisana…I hope that I've made the right decision. I have to be sure."

Rukia ran with a speed she didn't know she possessed. Having a gate opened back up for her took much more time than she had liked, but at least it still opened at Urahara's shop. Once she was through, she wasted no time with explanations as she climbed back into her gigai, "Urahara!" she yelled. "Yes Miss Kuchiki, what can-"

"Do you know where Ichigo is?" she asked, her eyes watching him for any reaction. Her effort wasn't wasted, she saw him stiffen slightly, and then he tilted the brim of his hat down over his eyes, "I thought that he was with you…" She took a deep breath and nodded, it was as she feared. Ichigo had been sent back here, and probably thought she wasn't going to come back, the idiot. She had to find him. "I see, thank you."

She would try his home first and if he wasn't there, maybe his mother's grave. She started to make a mental list of any place the two of them had ever been together, hoping that she could find him before he did anything reckless. She had to believe that she could find him…before Kariya did.

* * *

Ichigo had sat on the floor against the wall for some time now, but he had no real perception of time anymore. All he could think was that he and Rukia would never have their chance now…she'd never know… Sighing in frustration, he closed his eyes and let his head drop into his hands. He had to stop this, it was getting him nowhere and he couldn't afford to get down right now. He pulled himself up and went to the window to look out at the city.

It wasn't much, but it had always been his home. He'd grown up here, met friends and gone to school here…he'd met Rukia here. "Dammit…I'm being such a pathetic jerk. I've got to get out of here, get my mind off…her."

He leapt out his window and quickly began a patrol of the city, trying in vain to force all thoughts of Rukia from his mind. It didn't seem to matter where he went, everything reminded him of her. Finally giving in, he let himself revel in his memories of her. The first time he'd seen her, how graceful she had been, how mysterious. He loved the way she always asked him for help about the strangest things…things that he'd taken for granted since he'd been a child. He missed her voice, full of passion and wisdom and courage; it had always been so reassuring to have her yelling at him when he fought, simply because he knew that she believed in him. It didn't ever really matter what she said, just that she had been there with him. He'd actually started to like hearing her yell his name lately…

Shaking his head, he forced himself to stop thinking of that. He couldn't remember that, not yet, it was too much. To have just realized it and lost it so soon…no, he couldn't think about that.

_Dammit Rukia…why didn't you come back? Why…couldn't we be together? I wanted…you_

Nothing seemed to matter anymore, nothing was the same. Nothing felt the same now. He hadn't realized it until now, but he had been looking forward to so many things…all of them involving Rukia. Now it all seemed…empty. He scoffed at that thought, he certainly hadn't thought of his life as empty before. Looking back at his life now, it was simply divided into two parts; with Rukia and without Rukia, the latter being unbearable now.

Redirecting his gaze from the sky, where it had been drawn, he tried to focus on his surroundings and found that he was near his school. Without thinking, he stopped his patrol, and remembered how she had threatened him, hit him, kicked him, dragged him by his own hair…how she had said his name, smiled at him…how she kissed him…

The roar of a hollow brought him back to his senses. It was close…he grinned. _This is just what I needed. _Wasting no time, he flash stepped to the edge of the clearing by the school, stopping just behind the line of trees. There were two hollows…holding something…no someone. As he came closer to the scene, he realized that it was Inoue…he could see her shaking her head viciously. A hollow was on either side of her, one had long arms and hands, with one large hand wrapped around her torso and holding her suspended a few feet in the air. The other had tentacles with one wrapped tightly around her throat…it was choking her. That was when he heard a voice that almost made him smile, "Tell me where the hell she went! All I want is to repay her for the kindness that she showed me…" Each word was bitten out through teeth grinding together in fury. Inoue could only shake her head in response. Kariya stepped out from behind the hollows, seemingly unconcerned with being in their presence; his face was a grim picture of hatred with his eyes focused on his prey.

"If you don't tell me where she is then you'll have to take her place! Is that what you want to happen?" He leaned forward, and as he did this, the hollow holding her lowered her to his eye level. Ichigo watched as the scene unfolded in front of him. _He has complete control of the hollows? I didn't even hear him say an order…does he only have to think it? If that's the case…then there's no way that I can be fast enough… I guess I'll just have to get him to focus on me instead!_

Ichigo let his anger wash over him, replaying the times he watched Kariya with Rukia. Barely able to hold his anger in check he called out, "Let her go Kariya, she can't help you." Red eyes full of surprise met dark amber, and the challenge was set, "Come any closer and I'll have them kill her!" Ichigo ignored him, and kept moving forward. The tentacle around Inoue's neck tightens, her eyes go wide for a moment before they close and her head falls to the side. "Keep coming if you want to kill her, it won't take much more pressure Kurosaki."

This finally made Ichigo stop. "You don't need her, let her go and we'll fight, man to bastard." Kariya makes no move and doesn't answer. "Dammit, she doesn't know anything!" Kariya moves in front of Inoue so that he is in between her and Ichigo while his demeanor lightens, "Well then that changes things doesn't it? Tell me where the hell Rukia is or I'll kill the girl."

Stunned, Ichigo could only stare at him for a moment. _He would really hurt someone that has nothing to do with this, just to get a chance at revenge? He's lost it. Damn, it's a good thing Rukia isn't actually here; she'd end up doing something stupid. …like hell it's gonna go down like that, if he wants revenge, he'll get it from me!_

"You'll never find Rukia, and I'm never gonna let you get near her again, so just forget that!"

Kariya's eyebrows rise up in mock surprise, "If you won't tell me where she is, then you're of no use to me Kurosaki, and there is no reason that I should let you live!" Ichigo dropped into a fighting stance in response, pulling Zangetsu off of his back, "That's just what I was hoping you'd say." Kariya only smiled back at him, an infuriatingly confident smile that made Ichigo want to hurt him that much more if only to wipe that look off of his face.

"You know, I'll find her with or without your help, I was only hoping to expedite things. But in the meantime, I think I'll show you some of what I have planned for our lovely, innocent Rukia…" and then he turned and started walking back to the hollows and Inoue. Realizing he meant to kill her here and now, just to prove that he could Ichigo pressed him further, "Don't you hurt her Kariya, she's done nothing! She's had no part in this-"

Kariya whipped around to face him, "Oh I don't think that matters anymore. Rukia has to pay, you see, and since I don't have her here…then I'll take payment from any of her friends that I happen to come across. This one just happens to have the privilege of being the first one that I found."

* * *

Rukia had hardly stepped out of Urahara's shop when she felt the strong, pulsing power that Ichigo emanated. He seemed alright, his power fluctuating, but she had expected that. She took a moment to let it wash over her and started running, she had a lot of ground to cover before she'd get to him, but she knew better than to waste any time when it came to Ichigo. He was an idiot and prone to doing stupid things when she wasn't around after all.

After a few blocks, she had to alter her course and then twice more before she stopped for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell he was doing. When he finally came to a stop, she started off again, this time towards the school. She still couldn't believe that he had left, even if Byakuya had told him to. _There had to be more to what happened then what my brother told me…he had to have exerted some force to make Ichigo leave…right? This is Ichigo! Since when does he ever do anything Byakuya tells him to? If I'm right about this and my brother did force him to leave…then Ichigo is going to be angry, and he'll need to unleash his frustration. Since I'm not around for…that, the next best thing would be hollows. He must be on patrol, which would explain why he's moving around so much, he's just looking for a fight. _

As she continued, she felt his spirit force flaring. _He_ _must be fighting…that didn't take him long._ She forced herself to run as fast as her gigai would allow. As she came close to the school, she sensed Ichigo's spirit force spiking sporadically. _What is going on?_ Then she felt Inoue's spiritual pressure fading, and she understood. She focused on Ichigo's spiritual pressure and could tell he was furious…_never a good sign_ _for him_. She could hear the hollow now…no hollows, there are two of them there. That's strange; normally he's so much more focused on the fight at hand. He shouldn't be letting his emotions get the better of him like this. Alright, he should be just through these trees now. Rukia pushed through the trees quickly and as silently as she could; hoping that she wouldn't be too late to divert the impending disaster.

* * *

A/N I hope you enjoyed that chapter. It took a long time, I know, and I am sorry for that. I've had a lot of medical issues to deal with, but I'm happy to say that my surgery went well and I'm recovering nicely so far. One nice thing is that I've had some time to finally work on this! I've had a lot of people asking if I plan on finishing this. Yes, I do. It might take me awhile to get done, but I will finish it. I guess that wraps it up, review if you'd like, I enjoy hearing what you think. The positive feedback I get is what keeps me going guys, so thank you.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 **

**Take Me Instead**

**In which we see the depths of the bonds of friendship**

* * *

Ichigo stood rooted to the ground. How could this be happening? It was just too much, too damn soon… "Last chance Kurosaki…tell me where Rukia is or I'll kill your little friend here." _This is definitely bad…_ Ichigo could see Inoue's head slumped to the side and knew she was out. _That means she can't do anything to protect herself. I've got to do this fast, and I sure as hell can't miss…_

He tensed in preparation to lunge, and just before he took his first step, he sensed her. It was unmistakable, she was there…just beyond the tree line. He froze, eyes widened in surprise, and he slowly turned his head to look where he knew she was standing. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was there. His heart was pounding furiously, his hands were shaking… _Rukia is here, she came back! _Suddenly he couldn't give a damn about anything else around him, none of it mattered. Rukia had come back. Everything fell into place for him. She had made her choice, and it was to come back…

"Kurosaki! What the hell is your problem? Do you care so little for your friend here? Are you really willing to just stand there and watch her die? Don't you want to save her?" Kariya paused to gage the effect his threats were having before continuing, "All you have to do is tell me where Rukia is…" His voice dropped low, "That little bitch took something from me…and I want to return the favor."

Ichigo had heard everything, but only registered it once he heard her name. He turned back to Kariya, and yelled with unmasked fury, "Like hell I'll tell you where she is! That's not gonna happen, so you can just deal with me instead, got that?" Ichigo knew that Rukia was standing well within hearing range…that meant she had just heard exactly what was going on. _Dammit, she'd better stay out of this. It's too dangerous for her to get involved._

That was the precise moment he heard her strong alto voice ring out, "Kariya, what are you doing wasting your time with them when what you really want…is me?" Ichigo closed his eyes, his hopes shattered. _Of course she won't stay out of this…its Rukia. And what the hell did she say? Is she trying to piss him off? Doesn't she realize that he's already pissed off?_

He didn't move, didn't even shift his stance; he kept glaring at Kariya, not trusting himself to look at her. Hell, he didn't even need to look at her to know exactly where she was and see the look on her face. Rukia slowly stepped out of the brush in full view of everyone. She wouldn't look anywhere but at Kariya either, and he was reciprocating in kind. He gave her a full and leisurely appraisal, "My my Rukia, I should have known you'd be with Kurosaki. Tell me, how long did it take you to run to him?"

Rukia kept walking slowly, right past Ichigo without sparing him a glance. She stood with her back towards Ichigo, rigid with tension. "Kariya, what I do and who I do it with are not your concern now, nor have they ever been. I think its better that you realize this now since you must know who I really am."

For a moment Kariya looked like he had lost his composure, but the rage in his eyes quickly vanished, replaced by cold control. He tilted his head and reappraised the situation, taking two calculated steps away from her.

"Then tell me, my sweet Rukia, why did you come back, if you've already gotten what you came for? Is it that what you already got wasn't enough to satisfy you?"

In answer, Rukia shifted her weight to one side and let out a very Ichigo like scoff, "Hardly, I only came back out of necessity and you know that. The duty of a Death God is to protect and that is the only reason I'm here."

Kariya smiled at her, then glanced over his shoulder at Orihime and then back to Rukia. "The noble Rukia, so concerned for her friends safety, has come back to offer herself up in trade. How convenient for me."

She stood perfectly still, staring at him until the tension was suffocating before she answered, "It would seem so." Kariya let out a low laugh, "That's just what I always wanted, now come here, my little Rukia. You left so quickly last time, I didn't get to finish what I started."

Rukia hesitated, and turned her head a fraction of an inch towards Ichigo before she caught herself, and that was all he needed to realize that Kariya was right. Rukia was noble and she was here out of concern. She was here to sacrifice herself to save her friends. He was moving before he'd finished that thought. In the back of his mind he registered a scream of pain that belonged to Inoue, but all he could think was that he had to get to Kariya and kill the bastard.

Ichigo hadn't covered but a few steps when a small hand on his arm stopped him, "No Ichigo, don't."

Out of shock or reflex, he never knew which, he looked into Rukia's pleading eyes while she spoke, "I've got this one, let me handle it." Her voice wasn't wavering and her grip was strong, he knew she was determined…and when Rukia was determined that really left him no choice.

He closed his eyes and started to shake his head when she jerked on his arm again. Sharp amber eyes opened and shifted between Rukia and Kariya before settling on her. It was unspoken between them now.

_I can't just let you go to him…not again. What if you don't come back?_

The right corner of her mouth lifted slightly and she shook her head, "Ichigo, I'm going to do what I need to and I suggest you do the same." Then she turned away from him and took carefully, perfectly measured strides up to Kariya's side. She stood with her arms crossed, most of her weight on her right hip, "Take me instead of Inoue." He inclined his head in acceptance and slipped his arm around her waist.

The way he looked at Rukia made Ichigo feel like he needed to be sick. He could barely stand watching this, but he knew that this was the only option. He understood that Rukia felt she had to do this, and at least this way Inoue wouldn't be hurt. He understood that he had to let her and he understood that he would save her. Hell, she'd told him to, she knew that he would come after her. He understood so well in fact, that he stood perfectly still, his eyes never leaving Rukia's form, and watched Kariya put his hands on her…pull her close…and then drag her into a tear in between worlds.

She was gone and he tried to breath but it hurt. There was no time. Every second that bastard had her was another chance for him to hurt her…or worse.

Ichigo hardly noticed when the Hollows holding Inoue disappeared. Her soft whimpering brought him back to reality. Her eyes were glazed over, but she recognized him; "Kurosaki…you rescued me?" Hope was evident in her quiet voice, but he didn't hear it. Shaking his head he answered her, "No, all I did was stand there and watch."

He walked up to her and helped her up easily and made sure she could stand on her own before he released her. Inoue was reluctant to let go of Ichigo, but once she asked him who had saved her, she knew no matter what she did, she would never reach him. That simple question finally got Ichigo's attention and his eyes stunned her once he looked at her. She knew the answer before he said it, her name was all over his face.

"Rukia."

She felt like an idiot for asking…"Oh. Oh I see…of course." She felt her heart breaking, this wasn't what she had imagined at all. Maybe it was time to let go of that fantasy…maybe it was time to let go of Ichigo. Things were different before…because before he wasn't in love with someone that loved him in return. Now, the two of them had each other…and there was no sense in her waiting for something that would never happen. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt though. Noticing that his other half wasn't here, she asked in a small voice, "Where is she?"

Ichigo's eyes changed, they became cold and distant. "Kariya took her."

So that was it. Inoue forced an overly cheerful face, "Then you'd better hurry and save her! You can't leave her waiting…you know how much she hates waiting…"

Ichigo almost laughed at the ridiculous comment, but managed to hold a semblance of his original scowl. "Yeah…you sure you're alright?"

Inoue nodded vigorously and gave herself a few knocks on the head to demonstrate the sturdiness of her skull, "Of course! It'll take more than that to hurt me!" He cocked his head to the side, totally unconvinced, "I'm not sure I should leave you here…"

She waved him off before he could get further and started shoving him away, "Yes you're sure! You've always been sure, even if you didn't know it yet…"

He put a stop to her shoving, "I don't even know where he took her…" This statement gave Inoue pause, she couldn't sense Rukia either. "Well," she started "that's never stopped you before, why let it now?"

Suddenly Ichigo straightened, put his hand on her shoulder and almost smiled at her, determination filled his eyes again, "You're right." Then he turned and started to run, shouting back over his shoulder, "Thanks Inoue!"

Before she could muster up any kind of response, he was gone, off to save Rukia…again, and she was left here, remembering that almost smile he gave her, when she was finally able to help him. Subconsciously her hand moved to the shoulder he had touched, and she dropped her head low, "You're welcome" she whispered. She took in a shaky breath, trying desperately to hold in her tears.

"That was very brave Inoue."

She jumped and let out a startled cry at the intrusion and spun around to see the newcomer. "Ishida! Wh-what are you doing here?" He moved to stand directly in front of her before he answered, "I came because I know one of my friends needed my help." He could see the tears gathering in her eyes as she shook her head, "I'm fine now, but Rukia…Ichigo went after her but…"

"You are not fine now Inoue, but that's okay. I'm here to help my friend and whether you believe it or not, you did do something very brave, no matter the cost to yourself. I admire that." The tears were rolling down her cheeks now, but she still smiled genuinely, "Really? You do?" He nodded slightly, "Yes, I do." That was all that Inoue needed to hear, she threw herself forward and cried into his chest, "Thank you Uryu!"

* * *

Ichigo had one place in mind, and thanks to shunpo, he was there in minutes. "Urahara!" he yelled, throwing the door open. A higher pitched voice came from the back, "Ah, Kurosaki, what can I-"

Grabbing his robe and jerking him closer, "I don't have time for this, open a gate to Soul Society now!" Urahara's eyes widened for a moment before he relaxed, "My my Kurosaki, you seem to be in a hurry, could something be wrong?"

Before he could gauge Ichigo's reaction he was up against the wall and could barely breathe, "I said that I don't have time for this dammit. Kariya took Rukia to I don't know the fuck where and I have to find her. So you are gonna open a gate for me to get to Soul Society so those bastards can tell me where to look first."

"I see. You should have told me that sooner. Please wait a moment while I prepare to open a gate for you."

Less than an hour later Tessai appeared and told him to go downstairs where Urahara was waiting. Leaping down quickly, he saw that the gate was up and ready, "Thank you for being quick about it Urahara." He bowed slightly, "It was the least I could do. Its ready whenever you are…good luck Kurosaki." Ichigo nodded in response and leapt through the gate.

Within a few minutes he was in Soul Society. Making his way to sixth division had to be one of the worst ideas Ichigo ever had, but putting himself in this position, if it had been one of his sisters he would want to know first. So this was how he found himself trudging through the labyrinthine walls of Soul Society again, going to Byakuya Kuchiki's office. Now all he had to do was tell him that Rukia had come back to the living world and because she had she was now the prisoner of the same person that she had been investigating. This coming right after his proclamation of how he would protect Rukia…perfect.

Not only was he back here so soon, but he had to go and tell that bastard that he had just failed miserably at keeping his sister safe.

_This can't be a good idea, but what choice do I really have? I know the last time I was here we didn't exactly leave on the best of terms…but I'm sure as hell not gonna let that stop me from helping Rukia, and they have got to have some connections, right? They have to have some idea of where she could have been taken… Besides this is his sister! He'll help me find her…he has to._

Yeah. I had to throw in something for Ishida and Inoue, just to tie that bit up. So now Kariya has Rukia and Ichigo is going back to SS for help from Byakuya. Hmm. Wonder how that's gonna go. I hope Ichigo can get to Rukia in time! I know, it doesn't really seem like Ichigo to let Rukia go like that, but remember she told him to! Anyway, let's say if I get to 280 reviews I'll update right away! See, my goal was to have like 10 reviews a chapter, and I don't. And it makes me sad :( But, to those of you who have reviewed thank you so much! I appreciate them more than you know. Also, thanks for all the well wishes, I'm still recovering but I'm getting around better finally! Okay, Im off to study for finals...sigh. See ya next time XD


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 Dark Tidings and Civil Greetings

**Chapter 30 **

**Dark Tidings and Civil Greetings**

**In which we see the damage of bridges burned and loyalties learned.**

* * *

Ichigo thrust the office door open and didn't stop moving until his hands were on top of some neatly stacked papers taking up space on Byakuya's desk. He leaned over its expanse staring into the famous Kuchiki's eyes. They both stayed that way for several moments, assessing each other and the more than volatile situation at hand. Ichigo wondered for a moment, if he might finally see some sort of an emotional reaction, some indication that Byakuya even cared for his sister, once he knew what had happened to her.

Without breaking their connection, Ichigo began simply, "Rukia came back, Kariya took her and I don't know how to find her."

_That was short and sweet. Rukia would be impressed with how well I handled this. I'll just give him a minute to let this sink in and then-_

"I am aware of the situation." There was no reaction there. He hadn't even blinked, there was no inflection in his voice. He looked bored and slightly annoyed at Ichigo's presence. Not willing to waste anymore time than he already had, Ichigo swallowed that slight to Rukia and moved on, "Okay, well good, then do you know where she is? The faster we get to her-"

Byakuya returned his stony gaze to his work before replying coolly, "Rukia left not only the Kuchiki family but Soul Society as well. In doing so, she severed ties with all of us."

This time, Ichigo reacted without thinking, "What the hell? She is your sister for God's sake, you can't just turn your back on her! Family doesn't work that way."

Byakuya's eyes flickered up to meet Ichigo's. Finally, he reacted. With lightning speed he was on his feet looming over Ichigo, "You think to lecture me on familial proprieties? Was it not you then that she left us for? Do you realize how much she gave up for you yet, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo shook his head, trying to remember that Rukia needed his help, "I know you forced her to choose and so she did. What you do now is up to you, so I'll ask again. Are you gonna help me save your sister or not?"

Byakuya moved away from Ichigo, standing up perfectly straight when he answered, "I have already tried to save her, but she has chosen another path." Then he sat back down at his desk and calmly resumed his duties, seeming to dismiss Ichigo along with all thoughts of rescuing Rukia.

Ichigo was shocked into momentary silence. Recovering fairly quickly, he slammed his hands back down onto Byakuya's desk, intent on regaining his attention. "How the hell can you just act like she doesn't matter? She is your sister! You are supposed to protect her! Don't you get it? Your sister is still recovering, she can't defend herself like she normally could, and I don't know where she is or how to find her." He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair trying to regain some semblance of sanity. "Byakuya…she needs your help."

Byakuya didn't even look up when he answered, "That is not something I can give. Any further attempts to change my mind will only be a waste of your time."

Ichigo stood there for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fists. He really wanted to beat the shit out of Byakuya, but he was at least rational enough to realize he didn't have time for an all out fight, no matter how much he could use one. "Fine, I'll find her another way. Just know that we aren't finished yet, and when this is all over, I will be back." Without waiting for a response Ichigo turned and stormed back out of his office.

Byakuya gave no indication he had heard him.

The leader of the Kuchiki family kept his stoic façade up until Ichigo was well out of his division. Then he began to prepare on his own. He couldn't leave everything up to that boy anyway, he wasn't worthy of that much trust, not yet.

* * *

Ichigo, on the other hand, was fuming. His next option was Toushirou Hitsugaya as he couldn't seem to find Renji. Barging into his office hadn't helped him much either, but Toushirou at least seemed concerned for Rukia, and said that he would do all he could to help. He said he would try and locate her, but that if her spirit force had completely disappeared along with the description of the tear Ichigo had given him, that he thought she had been taken to Hueco Mundo. That meant that they wouldn't be able to locate her unless they went there, which would take time to be able to do.

Time was unfortunately something he didn't have much of. The entire time he was arguing with Byakuya and explaining to Toushirou Rukia was alone with Kariya. Totally alone with him. He couldn't get the images to stop flashing through his mind. What was he doing to her? Was he hurting her? What was he making her do? Was she still…alive?

_No, I can't think like that. Of course she's alive. She's waiting for me to get to her. She knows I'm coming, so she'll stay alive until I can get to her._

It was at this point that a voice he hadn't heard in some time rang through his mind in short clipped words.

**Ya know, she can't stay alive forever. Better get off your ass and find her. **

_Oh shit…that's not good. He actually sounded like he…cared? He also sounded just as pissed off as I am, and he made a damn good point_.

The prodigal captain was still explaining what he wanted his vice captain to do when Ichigo interrupted them, "Alright, well can you keep looking for Rukia? I'm going to try and find her on my own." As was his habit, he left without waiting for any sort of confirmation. On his return trek to the living world he refused to let his mind wander. He would not give either himself or his hollow-self a chance to conjure up anymore gruesome scenes depicting Rukia in the lead and Kariya her opposite.

He repeated a chant over and over in his mind, "Wait for me, wait until I'm there."

It was less than an hour later when he arrived. His feet hadn't been on the ground for more than a moment before he felt the alluringly clean spirit force that was Rukia wash over him. It was weak, but that didn't matter. He smiled now, "Perfect." It would only be a few more minutes before he could get to her. Preparing to flash step to her he whispered under his breath, "Wait just a little longer, I'm almost there."

Ichigo was so intent on getting to Rukia that he didn't notice the blurred shadow following him.

* * *

Rukia had a very good idea of where she was. This had to be where Kariya and Aizen had gone to 'convert' the Hollows they had talked about. Even in her weakened state she could still sense the residue of Hollows, it was so thick she felt like gagging.

_Well, at least I know where I am, but it will take Soul Society some time to find me. Most of the spirit force I have recovered is going to be masked by the barrier surrounding this place. I've got to get myself out of here. _

She opened her eyes and slowly surveyed her surroundings. It was dark all around her so that she could only see a few feet in front of her. She was in a cell, lifted against a jagged rock wall by chains around her wrists. Flexing her arms slightly, she tested their strength…which was unfortunately stronger than she had hoped. She would not be able to break free using strength alone.

Kariya was kneeling on the ground in front of her, sharpening something.

_There isn't much I can do right now, I can't break these. I'll just have to wait for an opportunity._

Rukia closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, taking deep even breaths. She eased her way into a deep meditative state, refusing to acknowledge what Kariya was doing to her, let alone react to it. Instead she concentrated on pulsing her spirit force up and down in even strokes, like a heart beat at rest. She knew that they would be looking for her and could only hope that using whatever energy she had managed to recuperate as a sort of beacon would be enough.

Ichigo was probably out looking for her now. She hoped that he wasn't worrying too much_. Of course he is, it is Ichigo; all he seems to be capable of doing is worrying about me. He is going to be furious with me for leaving with Kariya, but what choice did I have? Orihime could have been seriously hurt. I couldn't let that happen, not if I could prevent it. He'll understand that…he has to._

Rukia was so immersed in her thoughts that she hardly noticed the shallow cuts being made in her skin. She didn't really feel the large hands around her throat increasing and decreasing pressure just to toy with her; she disregarded any lightheadedness that accompanied it. She barely heard the sordid conversation Kariya was trying to have with her. She kept her focus on spiking her force up and down.

Kariya was growing more and more furious with her. It didn't seem to matter what he did to her, he got no reaction. At first, he was almost gentle, but now he was getting frustrated. This was supposed to make her pay, he wanted to see her in pain. "Do you know how beautiful you were to me Rukia?" he paused, watching her closely, but she didn't move. She just hung there with her eyes closed…almost like she was resting peacefully.

He ran the back of his hand down the side of her face and neck, then began toying with her neckline, "You were so beautiful in all your pain, I hadn't seen such quiet sorrow before. You really must have done something awful to have earned that burden." He finished in a low voice that was much more penetrating than his previous ravings had been. At this point, Rukia could hear him, no matter what she tried to think of. She could feel his breath on her skin while his tongue tasted her and his teeth bit her. His fingers roamed over her taking any liberty they pleased; hands bruising and slicing whenever they could.

_Ichigo…hurry_

It took nearly all of her focus not to cry out, but she managed to maintain a passive façade. Rukia tried to emulate her brother and not let any emotion show through_. I am a Kuchiki dammit! Kuchiki's do not break under pressure._

She couldn't think anymore, worrying about what Ichigo may or may not do. She could only maintain her controlled fluctuation, repeating to herself over and over again, "Up, down, up, down…"

That was when she heard a change in the tone of Kariya's voice as it suddenly dropped low. It was still him, but she could tell he was no longer speaking to her. There was still anger in his voice, it was much more subtle. She could hear submission and even fear. Convinced that he had to be talking with someone else and that his attention was elsewhere, she opened her eyes to try and get a glimpse of who just joined them.

It was still very dark, but she could make out a catwalk like structure leading to a landing in the shadows, and she felt rather than saw a presence coming down the final set of stairs. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make out who it was.

Kariya was standing directly in front of her, with his back to her and kept the newcomer completely blocked from her view. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she pulled herself up using the chains binding her, so that she could see around him. Just as she can saw a darkened figure past his shoulder she heared an all too familiar voice, "Kariya, why did ya bring little Miss Kuchiki here? Did ya think she could get back what we took from her?"

Rukia froze, eyes going wide and panic spilling throughout her system.

_No…no its not! It can't be him, not again!_

* * *

A/N So please don't kill me! Byakuya can be a real jerk can't he? Well...maybe...maybe not. Man, the last few weeks have been hellacious for me. We had a hailstorn while I was at work. Softball sized hail. I'm not exaggerating either...I didn't know it could get that big. So, my car along with about ninety others got completely trashed. Guess who was sitting under a glass skylight when all this went down? That's right, me. I just kept sitting there looking at it thinking "That won't break right?" Well it did. While I was still at my desk. So then we had all these people trying to run for cover screaming...and my group got caught in another skylight breaking. Two in a span of like a minute broke and almost killed me. It was like an apocalyptic movie! So I finally make it to safety and look down. Yeah, I'd kicked my shoes off at my desk, completely forgotten them and had just run through all that broken glass barefoot. The amazing thing is that I had no cuts at all. I was totally fine. Then a little over a week later we had an F4 tornado hit less than a quarter of a mile from my home. The really awesome thing is that no one was hurt in either of the situations I was in, aside from a few scrapes and mental trauma. Yeah, we lost our cars and had some property damage, but we are so lucky. Two horribly devastating storms in less than ten days and we're all okay. I know that you probably don't care about my rambling about mother nature, but it was so humbling for me to go through I just had to tell you guys. Anyways, back to the good stuff! We hit 280 guys! I'm ecstatic! I love you all sooo much and I am so happy to hear that you like my story. I really need that encouragement and its you guys that have kept me writing through everything that has happened. So thank you and I hope to hear from you again! I'm gonna hope for...295 this time! I promise we hit that and I'll update asap XD So lemme know what ya think!


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**Connections Reaffirmed**

**We learn that certain bonds are never broken.**

* * *

"Kariya, why did ya bring little Miss Kuchiki here? Did ya think she could get back what we took from her?"

Rukia froze, eyes going wide and panic spilling throughout her system.

_No…no its not! It can't be him, not again!_

Rukia continued that mantra while she eased herself back down, hoping that he wouldn't notice her.

"Hardly, I brought her here for pleasure."

The man made a sort of clucking sound and peaked around Kariya to see Rukia hanging there helplessly, then he grinned at her. "She certainly don't look happy to be here to me." Kariya moved to block Rukia from Ichimaru Gin's view. Which made Rukia want to smile at the absurdity; who was he to protect her? Then he replied in a challenging tone, "I don't answer to you."

Gin only cocked his head to the side and smiled, lifting up his arms in defense, "Don't go getting' mad at me. I just wanted to make sure ya treat your…guest alright." Kariya crossed his arms over his chest, "Well now you've seen and you can go." His grin widened as he stepped up closer "Oh, I'm not as sure as you. Maybe I should ask her, ya know, see if she needs anythin'."

Rukia's first urge was to shrink away from him, he was just toying with her; she knew that. She knew he wouldn't lay a hand on her, not here and not now, but he wanted to hurt her in any way that he could. So instead she built up her walls as quickly as possible and waited for him to attack. She didn't have to wait long.

The former Captain sauntered around Kariya, who still hadn't moved, and came to stand in between them. "You won't get a reaction from her, you won't get what you want. Nothing I've done has affected her, so why-"

Gin responded easily, waving a hand through the air in dismissal, "Well we'll just have to see. Me and Kuchiki here go a long way back." He paused and smiled at her, a wicked split of his mouth that went nearly from ear to ear, "We've got a special history, don't we?" Rukia didn't answer; she just stared back at him. "What do you think Miss Kuchiki? Should I help ya? Get ya out of this mess?"

She didn't react. She only watched him, as if he was mildly entertaining to her. Evidently that wasn't the reaction he was prepared for, because he kept pressing. "Want me to kill him for ya?"

_He's done this before. He's told me this, made this offer to save me. Everything is the same as it was before. I'm a prisoner about to die and he is trying to give me false hope…again. I've got the same feeling of uneasiness and filth. _

This time however, Rukia was different. She didn't need false hope because her partner was coming. She kept control of herself and forced her way through her uneasiness. She appeared calm and totally unaffected. She was the perfect example of the Kuchiki stoicism.

Gin leaned down to her level, "Been practicing eh?" Rukia let a ghost of a smile show. He straightened and turned to Kariya, "You won't be able to get anythin' done. May as well just finish her off now." He walked away, waving over his shoulder, "See ya around Kuchiki."

Rukia allowed herself a moment to take a deep breath while Kariya's attention was still on the retreating form of Gin.

_Hurry Ichigo._

Kariya's voice brought her back to reality again. "My Rukia, you have been busy haven't you? I have seriously underestimated you, but that doesn't matter anymore. All that matters now is that you pay for what you've done."

He forced her chin up so that she was forced to look at him when he spoke, "I really did believe you, because I could sense that you were in pain. Some, if not most of that, seems to be gone now." He paused here, and fingered a lock of her hair, "The question is why is it gone now? Such a deep pain like that doesn't just go away…something had to have happened to heal it." He was very close to her now, staring at her intently. Something flashed across his eyes, something that made Rukia want to curl up in Ichigo's closet. "And I think I know what that something was."

Then without any warning he leaned in and kissed her. She bit him, drawing blood on his lower lip. He pulled back, hand going to his mouth investigating gingerly. When Kariya saw his own blood on his hands he backhanded Rukia, sending her skull into the rocks behind her. "You little whore."

Rukia spat his own blood at him, "I am not your little whore."

Kariya looked taken aback for a moment, and then kicked out at her, _hard _. She brought her legs up in defense, her right side taking the brunt of the damage.

"That would be the problem." He cocked his head to the side and frowned, "If you aren't mine, then whose whore are you?" Her eyes widened in shock and her control crumbled before she could stop herself. He nodded at her, then turned and left, going the same way that Ichimaru had. She shuddered remembering him.

_I can't dwell on that right now, I've got much larger problems. What the hell did he mean anyway? Get what back? The only thing that they took from me was…oh God! Does that mean its being kept here? Why would he tell me that? Was he just toying with me again…or was he serious? Either way, I have to find out if its here._

* * *

Ichigo followed the constant pulsing of Rukia's spirit force to an area that almost reminded him of where he achieved bankai. She was there, he knew it, but she had to be underground. He felt a sudden quake in the steady fluctuations of Rukia's force. Realizing something had to have really upset her to cause that, he barely slowed his pace while he pulled Zangetsu off of his back and sent a blast of energy against the rock wall, turning it into rubble and dust. Ichigo rushed through it, intent only on saving Rukia. "Hold on Rukia, I'm almost there."

The farther in he got, the closer he came to her, the more clearly he could feel her. It seemed like an endless maze of tunnels but following Rukia's spiritual breadcrumbs he was able to navigate them quickly enough. Rounding a corner, he came into an enormous chamber. At first he didn't see anyone and started to look for an exit on the opposite side but then, "You idiot! You shouldn't have come on your own."

He resisted the urge to sigh with relief and hurried into the cell Rukia was being held in. With each step he took, he could see her more clearly, and his wrath grew exponentially. This horrible rage building, he wasn't sure if it was all him…or his hollow, but it really didn't matter which one of them was responsible for his state of mind. Rukia was hurt badly. She had slashes all over her, crimson tears marring perfect porcelain. Her hair was matted with dried blood, the evidence staining her brow. She was covered in bruises and the tears in her clothing revealed more than he cared to think about at the time. Almost the entire left side of her face was dark and swollen, that eye closed to prevent any more blood leaking in. Her arms were held above her at the wrists by chains; he could see that she had tried to break free by how they were torn and bloodied.

**Kill him for daring to touch her! You should have done it before! You have to make him pay for what he's done to her King. **

The anger Rukia saw blazing on his face worried her, she had to calm him down, at least for the moment. She called out in what she hoped was a soothing tone, "Hey Ichigo, I'm alright." He paid no attention to what she said.

_Oh, I intend to._

Instantly angered, she lashed out at him, "Look at me damn you!" Her voice was hard and insistent, like she was instructing him on how to properly perform a soul burial. "I'm alright okay?" Finally looking up and meeting her stare he gained the reassurance that he had needed. Kariya hadn't…he hadn't. Ichigo refused to give that particular train of thought anymore time than he already had. He took a deep breath and nodded and she smiled as much as she could, though he could tell even that small action hurt her.

"Although I'd be a lot better if you'd get me down from here."

A bright blush spread upwards from his throat, "I was going to…I was just assessing the situation!" He pulled Zangetsu off of his back and unraveled the cloth wrapping. "Assess it after you've gotten me down from here! And be careful where you swing that thing!"

Ichigo brought Zangetsu down onto the chains with such a force it shattered them easily and lodged him in the stone wall. Rukia crashed to the ground with a light thud and he instantly bent to help her up and supported her with one arm while he ripped Zangetsu free. "That thing? That thing is my sword and he just saved your short ungrateful ass." He slipped the tip under the cuffs on her wrists, "A little gratitude might be nice. I did come her to save you ya know." He brought it up swiftly slicing through the metal bindings and repeated the same action on her other wrist.

She scoffed, "Save me? You didn't even know to get me down off of that wall! Some rescue; you didn't even bring anyone to help." He noticed that she was favoring her right leg, that would slow them down as he was certain she'd refuse being carried. "Che, you should know that I don't need any help! Besides you practically said, 'come save me! What the hell did you expect me to do?" He made to take a step, still holding her around the waist, "Can you walk?"

She shot him a quick glare, or what was supposed to be one anyway. "Of course I can, that's not the problem. Ichigo…Ichimaru Gin is here."

His grip on her tightened and he started searching every dark shadow in view, "Where?" She shook her head, an action he completely missed. "I'm not sure where he is at the moment, but he came down to…visit me not long ago."

_Ah. That got his attention._

"Visit? Do I even wanna know?" She attempted a smile again, "He was just trying to get a reaction out of me.." she lowered her gaze, "it almost worked." He nodded, an action she completely missed. "But it didn't." He started to lead her slowly to the entrance he had just used, "I'd love to stay and kick his ass, but I really think we should get you out of here first. We don't know how bad your wounds are."

She rolled her eyes, "I have a few cuts and broken bones; nothing that won't heal on its own."

He kept moving, "We don't know, you could have internal damage! So let's get going already, come on!" She frowned up at him and pulled back, "No Ichigo, don't you understand? If Ichimaru Gin is here…" and she made a sort of waving motion with her free hand.

"Aizen."

Rukia nodded, relieved she didn't have to explain that much, and leaned back into his side using the support he offered her. "He also said something to me that I can't figure out." Practically dragging her forward again, he tried to keep her distracted by provoking her, "And how is that anything new?"

She jerked him back hard enough to pull him down to her level, surprising him with the strength she still had left. "You idiot! That never works and stop dragging me!"

"Fine!" He stopped dragging her and instead lifted her into his arms, carrying her bridal style, and started running. "I'm the idiot? Did you forget someone is trying to kill you? I didn't come all the way here to just watch that happen!"

She was quiet for a moment, "Ichigo, I need you to look at me." She continued when he complied, "I know you came to help me, and I'm grateful to you, but listen to me. Ichimaru, he talked to Kariya right in front of me, asking why he brought me here. He asked if he did it so that I could 'take back what they stole from me'." She paused to let it sink in, "Do you know what that means?"

He slowly put her back down, "It means we aren't runnin'. Least not yet."

She grinned and reached up to kiss him, "Now that's more like it."

* * *

Zomg. That was shorter than I thought :( So I threw in a bit of that IchiRukiness sans fluff. I can see them arguing just like that in any situation, completely phasing out whatever else is going on. I tried sooo hard to get Gin right. He really creeps me out...and it creeps me out to try and think like him. I hope he wasn't too OOC. Does anyone or everyone know what he was talking about when he said they stole it from Rukia? I hope so. I'm going for 310 this time, I hope that's not too much.

On a very very sad note. My dog died on Saturday in the early morning. She was getting old, but it really took me by surprise. I believe that animals can make our lives so much better than they would be without them. I miss her already; she made my life better for eleven years.

R.I.P. Ginger. We all miss you.


	32. Chapter 32

**Wow this took me forever, I apologize about the wait! I had to get this up tonight for you guys. Hope you enjoy and please remember to R&R!**

Chapter 32

Hollow Tidings

Ichigo scoffed at Rukia, "If you get yourself killed because of some stupid hunch, I'm gonna-"

Rukia spun on her heel to face him, "It's not a hunch Ichigo! He practically told me that the Hougyokou is here!" She started to walk away from the exit and any hope of getting away safely, she was clearly determined to stay.

Ichigo gave the exit a fleeting glance before sighing and running after her. As the pair ran, side by side and in perfect synch, Ichigo began to have his doubts. _Rukia is hurt, whether she wants to admit it or not. It's gotta be taking a lot out of her just to run… This is ridiculous, I've got to get her out of here._

"Ya know, we could just come back for it. Why not go and tell Soul Society what we know and let them handle it? Don't you think you've done enough for them already?"

Rukia nearly stumbled, she was so surprised by this coming from Ichigo. Wide-eyed with shock, she turned to him, "You can't be serious about that; we haveto save it!"

Now it was Ichigo's turn to be shocked. _What the hell did she mean by that?_"Save _it_? Rukia, it's not like it's a living thing." This finally made Rukia stop and look up at him, taking a step closer to him to punctuate each point. "Aizen wants it to become all powerful and start the war. If he doesn't have it, then maybe…there won't be as many needless deaths or as much suffering. Something that important can't be left here. What if he moves it? What if he uses it?" She took a deep breath and shook her head, "No, we can't waste anymore time."

Ichigo nodded at her, waiting for her to continue, but instead she bit her lower lip and frowned. "Rukia…what else is there?" Ichigo coaxed gently. She shrugged, "I'm not sure, but it's almost like I can feel it. It's so familiar to me, like a voice that I recognize but can't place." She looked up at him again, "Ichigo, I can't leave without knowing if it's here or not, and if it is we have to save it."

Ichigo understood the desperation she was feeling, and that was more than enough for him. He knew he couldn't change her mind, it didn't matter what he said. "Fine, let's get going then."

Rukia smiled and hit him half heartedly in the arm before running deeper into the caverns. Ichigo ran along beside her, waging a battle in his own mind while trying to detect the first hint of danger.

_**This is wrong King. Get her the hell out of here! Why are you wasting time with this?**_

_Heh, you don't understand Rukia very well then, do you? When she decides something needs to happen…she will make it happen. This time, she's right. So, I either go with her and protect her, or she can risk it on her own. _

_**You should just pick her up and get her out. You're stronger than she is, you can overpower her. **_

_You are such an idiot. You may know all about fighting, but you don't know anything else. Now, shut the hell up and let me worry about protecting her._

Surprisingly, his hollow did keep quiet after that. He nearly ran into Rukiaas she stopped suddenly. She was standing perfectly still, rigid with tension. She was looking above her at the landing off of the scaffolding.

"Ah Miss Kuchiki, how marvelous to see you again. It seems as though you've been neglecting your recovery. Are you sure that's wise?"

Ichigo was close enough that he could feel her shaking, though because he couldn't see her face, he had no idea if it was out of fear or anger.

"Aizen" It was barely even a whisper, but it still sent chills down Ichigo's spine. The last time he'd faced him had given him nightmares about how completely he had failed in protecting Rukia from that bastard. He had been fooled, nearly cut in half and could do nothing but lay in a growing pool of his own blood while he watched Aizen plunge his hand into Rukia's chest. Well, no way in hell that was happening again.

He moved to unsheathe Zangetsu, but before he had done more than twitched he heard, "Shoot to kill." Ichimaru's sword was at his throat.

Ichimaru cocked his head, "Over so soon? How disappointin', I was expecting to have some fun." Then he shifted his stance, just the smallest bit forward, and the tip of his sword broke the skin on Ichigo's throat, cause a thin trickle of blood to slide down his neck. "I see you have Miss Kuchiki with you." Then he turned to Aizen, "See? I told ya. She came back for it."

Aizen's smile only grew as both Toussen and Ichimaru moved forward on either side of him. "Did you honestly think that you cold waltz in here and just take it back? Did you really think it would be possible that I would be unaware of what would happen once Jin told me who you were?"

Ichigo wisely followed Rukia's lead of pure silence for all of this. He didn't scream or yell, or even move. He was sure that Rukia was glaring, so he did too. This was pretty much the worst thing that he could imagine happening, but there was no way in hell he'd let them know how they were affecting him. He had no idea what they were going to do now.

_Last time I didn't stand a chance against Aizen…how am I going to protect Rukia against all of them? _

After he gave them a moment to respond, Aizen continued, "Ah, I see you had your hopes. Well, I really can't blame you for that I suppose. After all, hope is all that you have, you should cling to it." He smiled down at them again, "However, I can punish you for actually making the attempt."

Kariya moved from behind Aizen then, "Among a few other things." Kariya looked different to Rukia now. She wasn't sure what it was, until she saw the sword that he was carrying, belted at his waist.

Aizen's gaze settled on Ichigo, but he spoke to Rukia, "Ah yes, it seems that you meddled in some very carefully laid plans Rukia Kuchiki. Kariya Jin wants…reparations. I think that we should allow him to try. What do you think?"

Kariya looked shocked for a moment, as if that was not what he had expected to happen. Rukia said nothing, but her eyes flickered to the side for a moment. Ichigo tensed and his spiritual pressure began to rise. In a voice not entirely his own he answered, "Let him try."

"Very well, Gin?" Gin cocked his head to the side again and retracted his blade. From the landing Kariya moved in front of the three former captains and settled his hands on the railing. "Kurosaki, I knew you'd come for her. I've got a surprise for you, are you ready?"

His eyes flashed red and he roared, "Attack them!" Within the space of a heart beat the room was crawling with Hollows. There had to be hundreds of them, with more still pouring in through the tears between realms every second. Their cries were deafening and their stench was nearly overpowering.

Ichigo moved protectively in front of Rukia, "Rukia, stay-"

She hit him in the side, "Idiot, I'm the one that got us into this, and now you think I can't handle it? Dammit Ichigo, I can protect myself." He took a deep breath, "Fine, just don't die." She wanted to laugh at him to lighten the mood, but something deep in her gut stopped her, "Yeah, you either."

He pulled Zangetsu free and grinned at her, "Just like old times eh? You ready?"

Rukia nodded, and the fighting started. Ichigo slashed through Hollow after Hollow, never once letting one even remotely close to Rukia. He was more agile than she remembered, and very focused. The attacks started becoming more organized, one after another. The Hollows were stronger with each wave that came through, and there seemed to be no end to them.

While Rukia watched Ichigo as he started becoming more aggressive, she realized it didn't seem to matter. The Hollows were keeping pace with him. For every Hollow he decimated, two more seemed to take it's place. The simply kept coming, and were totally focused on him. She hadn't ever seen Hollows swarm like this…it wasn't right. They didn't work together like that. Hollows all driven to a single goal? No…something has to be controlling them to get them all to focus on him like that.

She looked back up to Kariya and noticed his eyes were glowing a deep red color and he wore a sadistic smile, concentrating on the battle below.

_So it's him? Kariya can control that many at one time? So completely?_

She glanced back at Ichigo, he was still alright. _He won't last forever like this; I've got to stop Kariya._

Without wasting another moment, she started running as quickly as she could, ignoring the shooting pains coming from her leg. She raced up the stairs, two at a time, paying no attention to Ichigo's calls to her.

She hadn't taken but three steps into the landing when she was confronted by Aizen himself. He smiled that almost a smile down at her before asking, "What exactly do you expect to accomplish?"

She tried to anticipate the attack, but she was no match for Aizen at full strength, let alone now in a weakened gigai. Aizen barely even twitched and she was thrown backwards. She was certain she would fall down the stairs, but something caught her. She felt a pair of strong arms holding her, and she looked up expecting see Ichigo's irritated face but was met instead with the sly grinning of Ichimaru Gin.

She tried to conceal her shock, but couldn't help the widening of her eyes; he was _fast_, she had seen him behind Aizen just a moment ago.

"Rukia!" Ichigo called out. She caught a glimpse of orange in a sea of Hollows, she knew he couldn't see her. She opened her mouth to call back that she was alright for the time being, and to stop worrying about her, but Ichimaru choked her, leaving her gasping for air.

"Ah ah! We don't ya interferin' Miss Kuchiki, better stay quiet! I'd hate to have to get rough with ya."

She stared at him and tried to shrug out of his grasp, but that only seemed to delight him all the more. "You sure you wanna keep movin' around like that? Why not just let them have their little fight? See, Cap'n wants it that way…he wants Kariya to clean up after himself." He must have thought the expression on her face was hilarious because he started laughing. At least she thought it was supposed to be a laugh.

"Rukia?!" Her eyes flashed back towards Ichigo. Ichimaru got her attention again, "Why so worried? Don't ya think he can handle it?" She glared back at him. "No need to be so mean to me, I did just save ya from a nasty fall."

She pulled back from him unexpectedly, knocking him off balance enough so that his hand wasn't around her throat anymore. "You bastard, let me go!"

He regained his footing easily, and tightened his hold on her, covering her mouth. "Now now Miss Kuchiki, ya wouldn't want to piss off the person that just saved you. That's not at all nice. Now you just sit still and watch the fight."

"RUKIA!?" Ichigo bellowed, he was starting to sound frantic.

No matter how Rukia strained to get away from Ichimaru should couldn't. She was forced to watch Ichigo fight for the both of them, while she couldn't do anything to help. She could see it happening, he wasn't paying attention to the fight, because he was too busy trying to find her. "Ooh, sounds like he's gettin' worried about ya." Ichimaru all but purred into her ear.

_Dammit! What the hell can I do now? I can't rely on Ichigo to rush to the rescue all the time…he won't be able to last forever. If I don't get away soon he'll get hurt, he isn't focusing on the fight._

Ichigo was panicking. The last he knew, Rukia had been standing behind him, and now she wasn't anywhere in his field of vision. He'd taken as many quick glances around the room as he could risk, but still hadn't found her. Without thinking he'd called out for her.

He'd been angry with himself for showing that much concern for her, and fully expected her to chastise him for it. Only she didn't answer him. _Alright, no need to panic, I'm sure she's fine. She's probably doing this just to make me worry, but still…_

"RUKIA?!"

He paused to look for her when a clawed hand swiped at him and caught his shoulder. _Dammit, I've got to pay attention to what I'm doing, but where the hell is she? Why isn't she answering me? _

He looked around wildly, but he still didn't see her. She still didn't answer him. _Shit! Did a Hollow get by? Did Kariya get to her? Where the hell is she?_

"RUKIA!?"

"Damn woman, answer me!" He complained while blocking another Hollow attack. _This is taking too long, what if she's hurt?_

_**You're right about that. Why don't you let me out King? I can take care of them all easily and much faster than you can.**_

_Shut the hell up you bastard!_

_**You know you can't protect her…you need me for that, just like last time.**_

_I thought I told you to shut the fuck up! I don't need you for this; I can handle this on my own._

Aizen watched this with little interest. Though he had been surprised when the Kuchiki girl confronted him; such determination. She and the human boy had that in common. Kariya, on the other hand, was not determined. He was simply hateful. Pure and untouched hatred, and it was all pouring out to that human boy. It was excellent. Kariya had been a great asset to him for years, but now he was starting to see what he was capable of.

It was entertaining to watch, and he did want Kariya to at least clean up his own mess. It was taking longer than he had expected, and his patience was running out.

He glanced back over at the Kuchiki girl. Gin was still holding her, doing his best to aggravate her. He looked like he was enjoying himself immensely as well.

Aizen moved forward so that he was directly behind Kariya, and put his hand on his shoulder, "I know that you're enjoying yourself, but we need to finish this. Even though neither of them had a phone, we can't be certain that Soul Society won't find us now."

Rukia overheard Aizen and understood. He was going to kill Ichigo. Icy fear flowed over her and she started thrashing wildly, biting and kicking, doing anything that she could think of to make Ichimaru release her. _No, I can't let this happen, not because of me!_

He only laughed and whispered in her ear, "I didn't know you had so much spunk Kuchiki, I'm impressed."

Rukia couldn't take her eyes off of Ichigo. He was fighting with a sense of urgency, but she could see it was only a matter of time before he would make a mistake. He was going to die here, in this cave, right in front of her. She blinked back tears and shook her head.

"So ya finally see it? He's gonna die."

She heard him yell, saw a flash of blood on his robes, he was hurt. She couldn't watch anymore and turned away. _This is all my fault._

The next thing she heard made her stand rooted the spot, too petrified to even let herself blink.

"Scatter Senbonzakura."


End file.
